A DRUG dealer, who was caught after his partner told police there were drugs inside his kitchen cupboard, has been sentenced to more than two years imprisonment.

James Shaw, of Redshank Lane, appeared in Liverpool Crown Court on Monday morning after he pleaded guilty to supplying cannabis and cocaine.

The 32-year-old was visited by police at his home in Birchwood on September 4 in 2022 as part of a domestic incident.

The attending officers asked Shaw’s partner to leave the property, but the court heard that she was ‘annoyed’ at having to do so and decided to reveal to the police that drugs were inside the house.

She opened a kitchen cupboard and showed the officers the contents, which included a bag of white powder.

Police then searched the property and found scales covered in white powder, as well as snap bags ‘tick list’ of names, with sums ranging between £40 to £600 written next to them.

A total of 7.5 grams of cocaine at 85 per cent purity was found inside the residence, alongside 11.5 grams of benzocaine, a mixing agent typically added to the class A drug.

A further 21 grams of cannabis was also found by police, making the estimated street value of the drugs between £665 and £911.

The prosecution for the case, Mr Jones, told the court that officers also found four mobile phones, that upon investigation showed that the drug dealing had been taking place since 2021.

“It was clear the defendant was operating as a delivery service to his customers,” he said.

A total of £1,085 in cash was also found at the house and was forfeited by police.

Defending, Miss Keogh told the court that since the date of his arrest in 2022, Shaw had ‘changed significantly’.

“Mr Shaw was in a particularly bad way during the course of his offending,” she said.

“He lost his job, his relationship had broken down, and the stress of all these matters sent him into meltdown and instead of seeking help from a practitioner he took to dealing drugs.”

The court heard that Shaw was also using drugs and had found himself in ‘drug debt’ as his habit had worsened.

Miss Keogh also told the court that since his arrest, Shaw had taken steps to rehabilitate himself and that he would ‘grab the opportunity with both hands’ to continue doing so.

Shaw was sentenced to two years and four months immediate imprisonment.