UNDERCOVER police officers caught a heroin user and dealer in possession of 24 wraps of the drug concealed around his body, a court heard yesterday.

A day earlier, in June, officers raided the home of John Trotter, on the Coach Road Estate, Washington, and recovered 1,000 diazepam tablets.

He claimed he had the pills in a bid to conquer his £50-a-day heroin habit, Durham Crown Court heard.

The next day, during follow-up surveillance operations, police saw Trotter meet a man they had been following, at a bus stop, in Washington.

On searching Trotter, the 24 wraps of heroin were recovered, and he admitted selling about ten per day, although only to people he knew.

John Temple, mitigating, said Trotter was a "victim of heroin" through his own misuse.

Mr Temple added that, since his arrest in June, Trotter had managed to kick heroin. He now intended to complete a degree course and hoped to "put his life back in order".

Trotter admitted three charges of class A drug possession with intent to supply and was jailed for five years.

Passing sentence, Recorder John Norris said heroin was a drug to which young people can easily become addicted.

"My own view is that five years is an appropriate sentence.

"While I accept you only dealt to people you knew, I don't know what happened to the drugs once they left your hands."