A DRUG dealer arrested after a police raid on the recently closed Nelson pub has been jailed for three-and-a-half years.

Kenston McIntosh, of Freelands Road, Oxford, admitted three counts of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply on May 9.

The 55-year-old was seen on CCTV throwing away a sock when police officers arrived to raid the Between Towns Road pub at about 11pm.

John Carmichael, prosecuting, said the sock contained 1.76g of heroin, 10.35g of cocaine and 11.26g of crack cocaine.

The barrister said together the drugs had an estimated street value of about £1,460 and McIntosh was also carrying £590 in cash and a list of customers.

He added that the defendant had 16 previous convictions for 37 offences, including for a robbery in 1978 and for dealing cocaine in 1995.

Lucy Ffrench, defending, said her client had turned to dealing drugs because of debts caused by a gambling addiction.

She said: “He got into real difficulty as a result of his gambling addiction.

“He lost a lot of money on roulette machines and then drank alcohol to help him deal with the losses.”

She said he started selling drugs after finding himself in about £20,000 of debt.

Judge Gordon Risius told McIntosh: “Given your background of drug dealing, the amount of cash, the tick list and the contents of your mobile phone, I’m satisfied your role in this was significant.”

The Nelson, in Between Towns Road, Cowley, was forced to close earlier this month by its owner, the Spirit Pub Company, following incidents involving drugs and violence.

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