DRUG dealer Christopher O'Donovan , who was caught during an undercover police operation in Devizes last year, has been remanded in custody after admitting selling heroin.

O'Donovan, of Bridewell Square, Devizes, was arrested during Operation Ardent which saw a string of dealers in hard drugs arrested across the town.

The 38-year-old appeared before a judge at Swindon Crown Court last week because he wanted to change his plea on four charges he had admitted at an earlier hearing.

But he decided against applying to alter two of his guilty pleas to the serious charges of possessing drugs with intent to supply.

Instead he asked the court to allow him to change his plea on charges of handling a stolen book worth £10 and a laptop computer worth £500.

O'Donovan now stands to be sentenced for two separate rafts of drug dealing charges.

The first offences which he had earlier sought to have re-opened so he could deny them, date from June 27 when he had heroin and amphetamines with intent to supply.

On the same day he also had liquid amphetamine which is a class A drug, cannabis resin and herbal cannabis which are class B.

He was then caught up in Operation Ardent when he supplied heroin to undercover police in August last year.

At an earlier hearing a court heard how he sold heroin to officers on four occasions from his flat on three days in August.

O'Donovan has pleaded guilty to four counts of supplying heroin, possessing heroin with intent to supply, possessing amphetamine with intent, possessing liquid amphetamine, cannabis resin and herbal cannabis.

Judge Charles Wade remanded him in custody for four weeks while a pre-sentence report is prepared.

Last week Stephen Knight was jailed for four years for dealing heroin and cocaine as part of the same operation.