A DRUG dealer was caught after police found a haul of cocaine stashed inside a speaker at his ex-wife’s home.

Mubashar Khan had hidden the drugs, bundles of cash and two mobile phones at the house in Northfield Street, Deane.

But Thomas Fitzpatrick, prosecuting, told Bolton Crown Court that the stash was discovered when officers from Lancashire police visited the property for an unrelated matter on June 12 last year.

The officers carried out a search and in an upstairs bedroom made the discovery when they took the front off a large speaker.

In total they recovered just under 100g of high purity cocaine in bags, worth a total of £4,000, £1,200 in cash, a bag of cannabis and two phones which revealed Khan has been dealing since February 2015.

“The police recovered text messages that demonstrated the defendant had been actively engaging customers — clearly drug transactions relating to cocaine,” said Mr Fitzpatrick.

A search of Khan’s own home on St Helens Road, Bolton, also revealed a cutting agent, gloves, traces of white powder, packaging material and a tick list of drug debtors hidden in a black bin liner amongst a pile of alloy car wheels.

Khan initially claimed to police that the drugs in the speaker were for his own use and the money found was cash he had earned from his job as a Fed Ex delivery driver and through buying and selling cars.

He was charged with drug dealing on March 7 this year, but the court heard that just eight days later police, concerned about poor driving, stopped a Honda Civic on Chorley Old Road.

Khan was driving and handed over two bags of cannabis after officers smelled the drug on him. He tested positive for driving under the influence of drugs.

But Mr Fitzpatrick said officers then searched the vehicle and found a black man bag in the foot well of the car which contained 69 bags of cocaine worth up to £3,500 in street deals.

Khan, aged 33, pleaded guilty to supplying cocaine, possessing cocaine with intent to supply, possessing cannabis and driving under the influence of drugs.

Mohammed Nawaz, defending, told the court how Khan had turned to dealing after building up drug debts himself.

“He began misusing illegal drugs himself when his marriage became strained and eventually broke down,” said Mr Nawaz.

“As his habit grew his ability to fund it became strained.”

He added that Khan has worked all his life and had no previous convictions for drug dealing.

Judge Richard Gioserano sentenced Khan to four and a half years in jail, telling him: “I accept that it was not cynical greed for profit that led to your involvement in drug dealing. But these are serious offences to which you have pleaded guilty.”

Khan was also banned from driving for three years and three months and ordered to pay a £120 victim surcharge.