A nightclub worker who was caught with £12,000 worth of cocaine in his home was told by a judge yesterday that he would be going to jail for years.

Neil Naylor, 38, claimed at Teesside Crown Court that the cocaine must have been smuggled into his home by a drugs gang because he owed £6,000.

Police found it when they searched Naylor's County Durham home after stopping his car on the Al9 near Stockton in the early hours and finding small amounts of cocaine in the vehicle. The £12,000 find was in his coal shed.

Naylor claimed that he had become involved with "would-be gangsters" at the Teesside club and he turned to cocaine during a breakdown in his long-term relationship.

Weeping, Naylor, of Calvert Terrace, Murton, swore he was innocent, but he was found guilty of possession last November with intent to supply, and he admitted seven lesser charges of possessing cocaine, ecstasy, cannabis, and amphetamines, and possessing 14 rounds of .32 revolver ammunition.

He was remanded in custody for pre-sentence reports.