DRUG dealer John Rodney has been jailed for six years after a jury found him guilty of possessing crack cocaine with intent to supply.

The 42-year-old was arrested after police raided a flat in the David Murray John building in July this year and found him in the kitchen of the apartment.

He was spotted by officers raiding the building trying to stuff a package containing £1,300 worth of the highly addictive class A drug under the units on the kitchen.

Also in the flat, which had a fridge placed behind the front door to make it harder for the police to gain entry, was a bag of Rodney's containing scales, which had traces of cocaine on and small plastic food bags.

As well as the £210 that he was trying to hide from the police the defendant was also found to have more than £730 on him when he was later searched. He denied that the crack cocaine was his, telling the jury he had gone to the flat because he was an addict and wanted to get some drugs.

After pronouncing their guilty verdict the jury heard that Rodney has a string of previous convictions dating back to the 1970s.

Prosecuting, Alan Fuller said Rodney had lived in Swindon since he was eight years old and was first jailed in 1983 for a commercial burglary. In 1985 he received 21 months for grievous bodily harm with intent with nine month consecutive for actual bodily harm. Two years later he received a suspended jail term for dishonesty offences.

The following year he was jailed for three years for procuring a woman to be a prostitute and grievous bodily harm. Then in 1999 and 2000 he was convicted of possessing heroin.

In Rodney's defence the court was told that he had been an addict for seven years and had no previous convictions for supplying drugs.

Rodney, of Burbage Road, Penhill, had pleaded not guilty to possessing class A drugs with intent to supply but a jury of seven men and five women found him guilty.

Jailing him the recorder Mr Gordon Bebb said: "The jury found you guilty of possession with intent to supply. You know if you are caught effectively dealing in class A drugs then a prison sentence is almost always inevitable.

"It is difficult to say whereabouts you came in the pecking order of dealers but you were clearly well established as a dealer at street level as, leaving apart the drugs, you had the equipment in the scales, knife and money."

He ordered that the drugs be destroyed and a total of £940.35 found on Rodney be confiscated.

PC Jon Cornelius said: "This conviction sends out a very clear message to the drug users and suppliers in Swindon that their actions will not be tolerated."