AN ILFORD drug dealer has been jailed for seven years after being caught with almost £20,000 worth of class A substances.

Omar Shiekh, 20, and his accomplice Hamza Delli, 19, were arrested on January 16 this year when police stopped their hire car as they drove to Cardiff.

Both had small amounts of cannabis hidden on their persons and wraps of class A drugs were recovered from the car.

The police also seized mobile phones from the pair which had drug-related messages on them.

At the trial at Cardiff Crown Court, Shiekh was said to come from a family of criminals.

Both men initially denied dealing, with Delli saying they had hired the car to visit a friend in prison in South Wales and Shiekh telling officers the drugs must have already been in the vehicle when they picked it up.

But both later pleaded guilty to possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.

It was the second time Shiekh had been caught peddling in the city.

He was sent to a young offenders’ institution for two years after being caught with cocaine and heroin in 2007.

He also had more than 30 other offences on his record including burglary.

Delli was also jailed for five years.