A drug dealer caught when police spotted an addict coming out of her home has been warned she faces prison if she breaches a tough community order.

Nicola Olsen was arrested after police recovered 162 wraps of cocaine inside her home along with £390 in cash, weighing scales and zip lock backs.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the 49-year-old had not been in trouble for more than a decade before slipping into addiction and dealing to fund her habit.

Jonathan Walker, prosecuting, said four mobile phones were also recovered from her Middlesbrough home when police searched it in February this year.

He said: “Police recognised a known drug addict coming out of the property, he was spoken to and was found to be in possession of three wraps of crack cocaine.

“Officers then attended the property where they found a black holdall with £350 in cash, four mobile phones, and 162 wraps of crack cocaine each worth £15.”

Mr Walker said the drugs had a street value of £2,430.

The judge heard how the defendant had a similar conviction from 25 years ago and her last conviction was in 2011 for an unrelated matter.

Olsen, formerly of St John’s Close, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to possession of a Class A drug, crack cocaine, with the intent to supply following her arrest on February 12.

Michele Turner, mitigating, said her client had used her time in custody to get onto a methadone treatment plan in an attempt to kick her addiction.

She added: “It’s clear she was dealing to fund a habit which had escalated rather quickly in rather tragic circumstances.”

Judge Chris Smith warned Olsen that she would be locked up if she breached any of the conditions of her intensive supervision court order.

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He said: “This order is going to involve four or five appointments a week. It is designed to help but it is tough.

“If you breach the order, if you don’t go to appointments, if you are not doing the unpaid work, you will go to prison.”

Olsen was made subject to a three-year community order which included 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 120 hours of unpaid work.

She was also made subject of an electronically tagged curfew and GPS tracking for 12 months.