A YOUNG father of three who was caught in an undercover police operation dealing in crack cocaine and heroin in Stevenage town centre has been jailed for 30 months. Prosecutor David Chrimes said one of the deals contained the highest purity of crack cocai

A YOUNG father of three who was caught in an undercover police operation dealing in crack cocaine and heroin in Stevenage town centre has been jailed for 30 months.

Prosecutor David Chrimes said one of the deals contained the highest purity of crack cocaine - 98 per cent - that he had ever seen.

Drew Startup, 21, pleaded guilty at Luton Crown Court to six charges of supplying Class A drugs on three dates in December 2004 and January and February 2005.

The court heard that when his partner learned he was addicted to crack cocaine she was disgusted and told his parents.

They came to Stevenage and took him to their home in Lincolnshire and with their help he has completely rid himself of his drug problem, and has settled his family in Brigg, north Lincolnshire.

However, Stephen Akinsanya, defending on Friday, said that effort meant he could not be considered for a drug treatment order as a direct alternative to imprisonment.

Mr Chrimes said a male and female police officer posed as drug addicts using the names Jan and Dave and on three occasions were supplied heroin and crack cocaine by Startup.

He kept his supplies in a Kinder egg or in his mouth and officers saw that on one occasion he had about 30 other wraps of drugs with him.

When arrested in March last year he said he was a crack addict and was given a small amount of drugs for his own use if he acted as a "runner" for his drug supplier.

Recorder Michael Egan told Startup, who had no previous convictions: "This was dealing at a commercial level and only an immediate custodial sentence is justified.