TWO drug dealers were thought to be on their way to deliver to a customer when they were caught by police, a court was told.

Dale Jary was driving a car containing passenger Jake Ward when a police vehicle approached to pull them over, in Callerton Drive, Newton Aycliffe, on the night of Saturday October 30.

Durham Crown Court heard that prior to being spoken to by police a package containing cocaine, later recovered by officers, was thrown from the car window by Ward.

The 25-year-old defendant, of Hawkshead Place, and 30-year-old co-accused, Jary, of Lightfoot Road, both Newton Aycliffe, admitted possessing a class A drug with intent to supply.

Judge James Adkin said: “The prosecution case is that they were out dealing that night and were caught by police.

“Mr Jary was driving and a package was thrown from the window.”

A basis of plea on behalf of Ward, was to have been put forward by his defence counsel, Lewis Kerr.

Judge Adkin said it may result in a trial of issue, or Newton hearing, being staged over the account to be put froward on that basis, but after a discussion with his client, it was abandoned by Mr Kerr, on behalf of Ward.

But he was also before the court to be dealt with for a previous motoring incident.

The court heard he went through a red light at 50-miles per hour on a 30-limit road while at the wheel of a Mercedes GLC, driving in North Road and Thompson Street East, in Darlington, on Tuesday July 20.

Arising from that incident he admitted charges of failing to stop for police, dangerous driving, driving without insurance and while disqualified.

That case was sent by Teesside Crown Court to the court in Durham so all the allegations faced by Ward could be dealt with together.

Judge Adkin imposed prison sentences of two-and-a-half years on both defendants for the cocaine dealing charge, from a starting point of 45 months, having given each a one-third deduction to account for their guilty pleas.

But he added a further six months to the sentence on Ward, for the motoring offences, giving a total of three years in his case.

He also imposed a further driving disqualification on Ward totalling 27 months, starting from the mid-point in his prison term, when he should be released on licence.

When the period of disqualification expires, he will only be eligible to drive lawfully if he passes an extended driving test., a requirement already in place from a previous motoring conviction.

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