A MAN who rented a flat in Barrow solely for drug supply has been sent to prison today after being found with around £13,000 of Class A drugs.

Ari Salih, 31, of no fixed abode but from the Stockton-on-Tees area, was handed three years and eight months at Preston Crown Court, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine at an earlier hearing.

Salih was caught when officers from the Southern Area Drug Squad established that he was using a flat in Nelson Street, Barrow, to supply drugs.

The operation came to a conclusion on September 27, when officers observed Salih meeting with others in Barrow town centre to exchange items with them. Those meetings would only last a few seconds and police believed that drugs were being exchanged.

After one of these meetings Salih was stopped and found in possession of 10 wraps of crack cocaine and three wraps of heroin – all ready for onward sale.

He was also found to have on him the keys for a property in Nelson Street.

When searched by police, 124g of heroin and 76g of cocaine was found in the property, with a collective street value of more than £13,000, and a sheath knife.

Also found in the property was numerous pieces of plastic on the floor of the living area and a roll of freezer bags, both commonly used to prepare street deals, a pair of scissors and a set of working electronic scales.

Detective Constable John Renshaw, of the South Area Drugs Unit, said: "When we searched the living area of the property it was clear that Salih was operating a commercial enterprise in relation to the supply of Class A drugs.

"It was a large-scale operation that saw him bring significant quantities of the drugs into the area, preparing them at the flat he rented and then dealing them on our streets.

"The South Drug Squad work hard to ensure that our community is a safe place. We will continually target those who involve themselves in drug supply.

"I am pleased with the result and hope this serves as a deterrent to others. If you commit organised crime in Cumbria you will be targeted and prosecuted."