A WOMAN was jailed for three years for her part in street-level drug dealing with her partner in an ex-pit village.

It follows the discovery of quantities of heroin and amphetamines in four police raids at the Sixth Street home of Christina Helen Drewett and partner Dean Peacock in Horden, County Durham, over the space of a few months, last year.

Durham Crown Court heard they were also in possession of drugs while in a “drowsy” condition, at a further address in the village, in Eleventh Street, which was considered something of a, “communal drug-taking area”.

Ian Mullarkey, prosecuting, said on another occasion a third co-accused, Debra Atherton, was stopped as she approached Drewett and Peacock’s home bringing a quantity of high purity heroin, apparently intended for reducing in strength for dealing at street level.

Atherton was also carrying a syringe containing amphetamine sulphate.

Mr Mullarkey said, apart from the recovered drugs, police found various paraphernalia for dealing, including “tick lists”, mobile phones, digital scales and small clear plastic snap bags.

The phones were found to contain messages indicative of arranging deals with “customers”.

Mr Mullarkey said, while it was clear that Atherton was merely a “mule”, or “runner”, delivering consignments, Drewett and Peacock played more significant roles dealing the drugs, albeit at street level.

The court heard that Drewett was interviewed four times between January and July last year and made no reply to police questioning.

Peacock, 26, by then of Seventh Street, Horden, admitted conspiracy to supply heroin and amphetamines, and was jailed for three years and four months, at the court, in late November.

Atherton, now 49, of Ninth Street, admitted a single count, and was jailed for 18 months at the same hearing.

The court heard that Drewett, 29, now of Aline Street, Seaham, who appeared in court on crutches, admitted both counts at a previous hearing.

Bill Davison, mitigating, told the court she was unable to be present at the sentencing hearing, in November, as she was in hospital, having broken both ankles when she jumped from a window during a burglary at a friend’s house several weeks earlier.

He said she has stopped taking drugs and appears to be, “making progress” with rehabilitation.

Judge Simon Hickey said he considered that Drewett played a similar role to Peacock in dealing the drugs, last year, at a time when both were active users.

The judge said that an, “aggravating feature”, of their offending was the, “persistence”, they showed in continuing to deal, despite being on bail, following their first arrest.

Jailing her, Judge Hickey also made a forfeiture order for £856 recovered from Drewett on arrest.