A 25-YEAR-OLD Cirencester cocaine dealer has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Ashley Burgess of Maisefield Road, Cirencester used the flat of a “vulnerable” person as a base to sell cocaine to a circle of friends, Gloucester Crown Court was told yesterday.

Said prosecuting barrister Nicholas Gerasimidis: “The flat had been taken over by the defendant and the police were informed

“They raided the property in Garland Court, Cirencester on July 12 and found the defendant lying on a sofa.”

In a bedroom police found 29.3 grams of cocaine with a street value of £1,700, drug phones and other drug paraphernalia, said the barrister.

“There were also quantities of cutting agents and a number of clear cellophane packets,” said Mr Gerasimidis.

Defending barrister Grace Flynn said: “My client has been candid from the start and his mother and brother are here today to support him.

“He was reckless and foolish to dabble in the very dark world of drug supply.

“This was not really a cuckooing case as the flat he was dealing from was being rented by a fellow user. There had been ill-feeling between the two of them.”

Said His Honour Judge Mchael Cullum: “I agree that this is not really a cuckooing case.

“The defendant chose to enter the world of drugs and was playing a significant role in there supply. He was street dealing in cocaine.”