TWO men who supplied an undercover policeman with crack cocaine have been jailed for three years.

A court heard that teenager Jacob Mains started selling the drugs to pay off a debt to ruthless Teesside dealers.

Wayne Narey - described in court as a career criminal - was also caught in the police sting.

Both men made Middlesbrough town centre deals with the officer who posed as an addict to infiltrate the drugs world.

Mains, 19, of Evesham Road, and Narey, 36, of Fransham Road, both Middlesbrough, admitted conspiracy to supply Class A substances.

Judge John Walford heard how both had drug addictions, but had overcome their habits since their arrests.

The judge told them: "You had your lives blighted to a greater or lesser extent by drugs use, and it should make you understand how seriously the courts view those involved.

"Crack cocaine is notoriously addictive, and notoriously damaging to health, and causes violence and further crime among those who take it and supply it."

Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday that the undercover officer made 15 test purchases.

Narey supplied £20 rocks of crack cocaine twice and was with Mains on two of the 13 occasions he made deals with the man, known only as Shane.

Nicholas Barker, prosecuting, said Mains used three different cars for his meetings with the undercover officer during the operation, from December 11, 2005, to January 26, 2006.

Anthony Moore, mitigating, said Mains had incurred debts of up to £3,000 through his crack cocaine habit, but stopped street selling as soon as he had paid off the dealers.

David Lamb, for Narey, said the younger man was the instigator of the deals, and his brief involvement was a blip in a period of staying crime-free after a troubled past.

The court heard how Narey had a convictions for shoplifting, theft and burglary, but Mr Lamb said as soon as his client realised he was slipping back into offending he stopped