A 23 year-old man, who supplied heroin to an undercover policeman, said he was coerced by members of a gang to come to Norwich to sell drugs.

Kyle Samuels supplied an officer known as Tommo with a street deal of two wraps of heroin for £15 after meeting him in Sherbourne Place.

Norwich Crown Court heard that the arrest was part of Norfolk police Operation Granary, which aims to disrupt and prevent county lines drug dealing.

Lynne Shirley, prosecuting. said that the undercover officer had rung a phone number to get drugs and was told to meet someone in an alleyway at Sherbourne Place.

Ms Shirley said when Tommo went to the arranged meeting place he was given the two wraps of drugs by Samuels.

Samuels was arrested on March 8, 2018, for the drugs offence but then failed to turn up for one of the court hearings.

She said a warrant was issued and he was arrested in May, this year, and has since been remanded in custody.

She said that Samuels had been on licence at the time of the drug dealing offence, and in interview had said that he come to Norwich because he did not want to be recalled to prison.

Samuels, who appeared over a link from Leicester jail, admitted possession of Class A with intent to supply and was jailed 30 months.

The court heard he has 11 convictions for 17 offences, although no previous convictions for drugs supply.

Sentencing him, Judge Maureen Bacon said that supplying Class A drugs was a particularly serious offence.

Simon Gladwell, for Samuels, said that he was a member of a gang at the time: “He was coerced to come to Norwich to supply drugs.”

He said that Samuels thought his family would be at risk if he did not agree.

He said that most of his past offending was also related to his gang involvement.

“He would like to change his life around.”

He said that Samuels was quite immature for his age which made him vulnerable.