TRIMLEY ST MARY: A drug dealer who was arrested after police found cocaine at his Trimley St Mary home has been jailed for seven years.

Ian Parkhouse, who was living in New Road, Trimley St Mary, was asleep in bed when police raided the house in February and his co-defendant Anant Singh was asleep in another room, Ipswich Crown Court.

During a search of the property officers found a quantity of cocaine weighing 30.4g, with a street value of around �1,200 in a training shoe, said Joanne Eley, prosecuting.

Parkhouse was also found in possession of �1,130.

In July last year police stopped a car driven by Parkhouse and found a small amount of herbal cannabis and �600 cash. A more detailed search of the vehicle revealed a piece of paper hidden in the area of the petrol cap giving the location of wraps of cocaine hidden in Parkhouse’s garage.

When police searched the garage they found 22 individual wraps of cocaine weighing a total of 13.2g and �2,000 cash.

Parkhouse, now of Regina Close, Ipswich, had denied two offences of possessing cocaine with intent to supply but was found guilty after a trial.

He was jailed for seven years by Judge Peter De Mille who said that despite moving to Suffolk to make a fresh start, Parkhouse had reverted to being involved in drugs.

Singh, 27, of Dukes Close, Felixstowe was jailed for five years earlier this month after being found guilty by a jury of possessing cocaine with intent to supply in relation to the 30.4g of cocaine found in a training shoe at Parkhouse’s house while Singh was staying there. He had denied the charge.

On that occasion Parkhouse was unable to be sentenced as he suffers from claustrophobia and a larger van was needed to bring him from Norwich prison where he had been in custody.

Nicholas Fookes for Parkhouse said at the time of the offences he had been struggling after a dog breeding business he had started had failed and his brother had died.

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