A STREET dealer was found with six bags of cannabis when his car was stopped by police and searched near Craven Arms, a court heard.

Two mobile phones were also recovered from 27-year-old Simon Stretton's vehicle in December last year.

Magistrates at Telford heard that text messages showed the defendant was involved in dealing drugs.

At court last week Stretton was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, after admitting being in possession of cannabis with intent to supply.

Mr Adam Warner, prosecuting, said that the defendant's car was first seen in Shrewsbury Road on December 4 last year.

Officers noticed the car had a broken headlight and it was stopped in the lay-by at 9.30pm on the A49 by the Little Britain Café.

He said Stretton was asked to get out of the car and officers noticed a smell of cannabis and several empty beer cans on the floor.

While the defendant was being given a roadside breath test a woman passenger in the car produced a box from the foot-well which contained the six sealed plastic bags of cannabis, a number of empty bags and scales.

Mr Warner said that during an interview with police Stretton admitted the drugs belonged to him and gave officers the password to an iPhone which had been recovered.

He said the phone contained various messages which concerned the supply of drugs such as ‘can you sort me out a 10 bag’.

The court heard that Stretton, of Second Avenue, Walsall, had been a cannabis smoker for 11 years and because of his level of addiction had started low-level dealing to fund his habit.

Mr Stephen Scully, for Stretton, said there was no profit in it for his client and his arrest had been the “kick up the backside” he needed to stop smoking cannabis and was also trying to quit smoking tobacco.

He said Stretton had obtained agency work doing night shifts sorting parcels and had travelled directly from a shift to appear at court.