A DOVERCOURT man who dealt anti-depressants and Class A drugs he bought from the continent was caught after Border Force officers seized suspicious packages in Germany.

Joel Cairns, 20, has been jailed for four years and four months, with Chelmsford Crown Court hearing of the extent of his drug dealing during a sentencing hearing last week.

The court was told how Cairns had been importing ecstasy, cannabis, and three types of anti-depressants to his address in Parkeston Road, Dovercourt, in Harwich.

Device – a card cloner was seized from Joel Cairns by policeDevice – a card cloner was seized from Joel Cairns by police (Image: Essex Police) He was caught in July after a Border Force officer examining parcels from Germany discovered 496 MDMA tablets inside a package addressed to Cairns.

After he was arrested at his home, a search revealed more ecstasy pills and cannabis, as well as Pregablin, Diazepam and Alprazolam tablets.

Officers also found three large bags of cannabis and a bag of ecstasy pills in a shed in Cairns’s garden, with further searches finding digital scales, an empty deal bag, a burner phone, and a card cloner.

Misery – Sergeant Vanessa Moss said the drugs cause damage to communitiesMisery – Sergeant Vanessa Moss said the drugs cause damage to communities (Image: Essex Police) Sergeant Vanessa Moss, of Harwich Community Policing Team, said Cairns was wrong thinking he could evade the authorities by importing the drugs from abroad.

She said: “The trade in illegal drugs, no matter which class they are in, causes misery in our communities.

“We often rely on information the public provides to help us target drug dealers who prey on vulnerable people.

“Cairns clearly thought he could get round the system by ordering drugs online from abroad and having them posted to him in such quantities it was obvious he was going to sell them on – but he was wrong.

Imported – 496 MDMA tablets were brought in from Germany Imported – 496 MDMA tablets were brought in from Germany (Image: Essex Police) “Officers searching his home following his arrest recovered a large quantity of other classified drugs in pill form, plus cannabis bud, which provided the court with incontestable evidence of his intentions.”

Cairns was sentenced to a total of four years and four months in a young offenders’ institution.

The court also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs and drugs paraphernalia plus phones and laptops seized during the investigation, the card cloning device and blank cards recovered with it.