A DRUG dealer who traded in Minehead and Wellington was caught red-handed by police who stopped a car with four people in it during lockdown – when only two people were allowed to be together.

A court heard that police found £17,000 worth of crack cocaine, heroin and amphetamine were found in the footwell of the car and in Ronald Turner’s underwear as he travelled from Derbyshire to Somerset

Taunton Crown Court heard that Turner was creating a new county line from his home into three different target towns in Somerset.

Police stopped the car on the A39 at Kilve just after midnight one day in April and found the drugs. They told police that they had come from Derbyshire and were heading to the Minehead area to see friends – even though strict lockdown rules were in place.

The court heard de-icer was used in the car to try and hide the strong smell of drugs.

The three other people in the car have been released under investigation but Turner, 38, from Buxton, admitted three charges of possession with intent to supply and was jailed for six years by Judge Paul Cook.

The court heard his partner had placed a tracker on his phone as she suspected he was seeing another woman.

But the phone revealed damning audio and video clips which proved he was an ‘established dealer’ calling more than 100 potential drug customers at a time.

Turner, a drug user with large debts, was heard saying “I am down south again starting this line” as he traded in Taunton, Minehead and Wellington and expecting “significant financial gains”.

Mary McCarthy, defending, said Turner had a £1,000 a day crack habit and called him ‘an experienced street dealer’.

Judge Cook said the audio clips gave ‘an insight into nature of the activity” and said Turner had been jailed for 54 months before for a conspiracy to supply drugs.