Drug dealer caught driving over the limit on West Bromwich High Street
A drug dealer who drove into trouble when he was spotted behind the wheel of his BMW barely a month after being banned has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.
Michael Francis was spotted by police in West Bromwich High Street on May 24 but the 35-year-old ran away as soon as the officer announced he could smell alcohol, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.
He was caught after a short chase and a test recorded a figure of 48 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
The legal limit is 35. A dozen wraps of crack, worth £120, were found in his car along with three mobile phones, said Mr Patrick Kelly, prosecuting.
A solid block of crack valued at £1,000 and £1,500 cash were discovered at his home in Grace Road, Tipton.
The search also unearthed several bags of cannabis and a handful of plants under cultivation with a hydroponic system.
Francis had a previous conviction for possession of cannabis with intent to supply for which he received a suspended sentence in 2013.
He was also banned from driving for six months for motoring offences on April 20, just weeks before the latest offences.
Miss Sally Cairns, defending, claimed he had been trying to end his own drug habit for several years but his car had been damaged and a brick thrown through a window of his home as a gang put pressure on him to deal drugs for them.
Victim support were trying to get him moved when he was arrested, continued Miss Cairns.
Francis admitted possession with intent to supply both cocaine and cannabis as well as driving when banned and with excess alcohol.
He was sent to prison for two years six months and banned from driving for 12 months on his release. The cash seized by police was forfeited.
Recorder Martin Wasik told him: “The fact that drugs were found in both your car and home indicates a significant level of involvement.”
