A DRUG dealer has been locked up after being caught with a £380,000 haul in a car in Southampton.

David Mann was handed three years in prison after police officers stopped a silver Ford Mondeo in Havelock Road, which Mann was a passenger in, on December 2 last year and uncovered a haul of drugs that would have had a potential street value in excess of £380,000.

Police became suspicious after noticing a black plastic bag sticking out of a rucksack worn by Mann while talking to him.

He was subjected to a search at which point he admitted to have a couple of kilos of cannabis within his rucksack. During the search a quantity of cocaine was also recovered.

A subsequent search of the vehicle identified a white carrier bag which contained the rest of the haul. A total of 120 wrapped packages of cannabis, more than 850 MDMA tablets and 13.8 grams of cocaine were discovered.

The 29-year-old, from Sark in the Channel Islands, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A; one count of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class B and one count of possession of class A drug at Portsmouth Crown Court.

The investigation was carried out by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU). Detective Constable Frank Cregan, from the investigations team at SEROCU, said: “This was a significant stop which resulted in a significant amount of drugs being taken off the street.

“We know that David Mann was intending to travel back to the Channel Islands later that night where he would have then sold the drugs. This would have had a significant detrimental impact upon the community had he been successful.

“We will continue to work with and support those forces within the south east region to target those involved in serious organised criminality.”