A MAN who supplied heroin to an undercover police officer has been jailed for 10 months by a judge at Maidstone Crown Court.

Mark Bushell, 28, of Mountbatten Avenue, Chatham, handed 6g of the class A drug to an officer known only as Rob,in October last year.

The court heard the deal was part of an operation mounted by the police to infiltrate a drugs network in the Swale area.

Bushell and a female accomplice drove "Rob" to see Bushell's usual supplier. Rob handed over £250 to the pair who then met the supplier before returning with the drugs package.

The woman, who went on to arrange a further deal for Rob, was then paid £40 for her assistance.

Both were arrested in January this year and admitted supplying a class A drug. Bushell, told police he was a long term drug user.

Mark Gatley, defending Bushell, told the court that Bushell returned home from work that evening to be "persuaded" by the woman to obtain the heroin. "He received no profit but did buy a small amount for his own use," he added.

The court also heard that Bushell's co-defendant was sentenced at an earlier hearing to 12 months' imprisonment, suspended for two years.