A NOTORIOUS young drug dealer has been locked up for more than two years after supplying an undercover officer with cocaine and cannabis.

Alfred Tusha, 20, supplied the officer in Southend on three separate occasions in April this year, Southend Crown Court, heard.

Tusha, of no fixed abode, supplied 1.79gms of cannabis on April 1, 190mgs of cocaine ten days later and a further 164mgs of cocaine on April 17.

The cocaine was 80 per cent pure, more than four times the purity usually found on the street.

He was arrested on August 9 and found with amphetamines.

This was in breach a suspended sentence given inMay for theft.

Tusha, described as a drug addict with a history of offences, was sentenced to 26 months in a young offenders’ institution, plus a further eight weeks for breaching his suspended sentence.

Judge Jonathan Black told him: “You will know yourself addiction is exacerbated by debt and crimes often have to be committed, prolonging the misery with which those involved in drugs live their everyday lives.

“I have taken into account that you were only 19 at the time, but you have made 41 court appearances for 59 cases in eight years.

“The purity of the cocaine suggests you were also close to the source of the drugs and this was an aggravating factor.”

The court was told, on the first occasion, the undercover officer was offered a variety of drugs at a shop in London Road, Southend, on April 1.

Simon Shannon, prosecuting, said: “The officer was offered cannabis, cocaine, heroin and amphetamine and given ‘Alf’s number. The two other incidents were arranged directly through Tusha and took place around Gordon Road.”

After the case, Southend’s most senior policeman, Chief Insp Simon Anslow, said: “It’s nice to see the court has taken a serious view of the offender’s behaviour.

“He is well known in the town and it’s good to see our longer term investigative work into serious drug dealing is now starting to pay off.”