A young man who couldn’t find work turned to drug dealing to make “easy” money, Canterbury Crown Court has heard.

Latvian-born Elvis Stirkis, 20, was nabbed by police operating in Norfolk Road, Margate - and found to be carrying cocaine in a Kinder egg.

His barrister Craig Evans told the court he was being given directions from someone on a mobile phone called Tesco 2.

Prosecutor Bridget Todd told the hearing how officers were keeping watch on the area, known as a drugs haunt, and stopped him.

Stirkis gave an address and police searched it and found no drugs, then they were told he had another address where they found money and evidence of his drug dealing.

Mr Evans said he was struggling to find work and made a wrong choice but had since found a job packing fruit in Bridge.

He said: “His mother and father are bitterly disappointed by him but he was being exploited and, in fact, didn’t make a lot of money out of it.”

Judge Rupert Lowe said: “These are serious charges. I have no doubt that you were exploited by more sophisticated and older drug dealers who were making more money than you were.

“But you made a free choice to do this and be exploited. You made a free choice to do this because you thought it was easy work.”

Stirkis, of, Norfolk Road, Cliftonville, admitted three charges of dealing in Class A drugs and possessing £200 criminal funds and was jailed for 31 months.