A PROMISING student who hoped to become a lawyer was today beginning a six year and eight month jail sentence for drug dealing.

Bolton Crown Court heard how Ahmed Bhana, aged 19, of Hopefield Street, Daubhill, was studying for A-levels at Bolton College but decided to take a gap year before completing the course and applying to university to take a law degree.

But Mark Kellett, defending, told how he fell in with the wrong crowd, began taking cannabis and then cocaine - running up a £2,000 debt with his dealer.

In order to pay off the debt and fund his own drug habit Bhana started selling crack cocaine and heroin.

David Clarke, prosecuting, told how on July 1, last year Bhana was a passenger in a Ford Focus stopped by police for driving without fog lights during poor driving conditions.

He was seen reaching into a pocket and officers discovered eight rocks of crack cocaine in his fist, with a street value of £177.

His house was then searched and Bhana's brother showed police a cardboard box in the garden which contained 47 packets of crack cocaine worth £1,283.

Bhana was released on bail but kept on dealing and the following month sold crack cocaine to an undercover police officer working on Operation Hercules.

Between August 29, and September 26, he sold crack cocaine to undercover officers six times, once going straight from prayers at his mosque to sell the drugs.

In October, plain clothes police officers spotted Bhana on St Helens Road openly smoking a cannabis joint and found four wraps of heroin and 10 of cocaine in his pocket, worth a total of £625. A further search of his home recovered crack cocaine and heroin with a street value of £595.

As Operation Hercules ended, a search warrant was issued for officers to raid Bhana's home again and they found heroin in the kitchen with a value of £800 and a shoe box containing £2,700 cash in his bedroom.

Bhana pleaded guilty to supplying heroin and crack cocaine, possession with intent to supply class A drugs and possession of criminal property.

Judge William Morris commented that Bhana, who was making £100 a day in cash and drugs from dealing, had ruined his hopes of a career in law. He said: "What a tragedy. A complete disaster."

Sentencing Bhana, Judge Morris commented that being caught dealing drugs and bailed on two occasions had not deterred the student.

He said: "It would seem you would return to this wicked trade almost immediately from being released on bail."