A VILLAIN who was custodian of a warehouse used to store guns, drugs and cash has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years.

Drug dealer Nicky Lomax was arrested after police found a 9mm pistol and stun gun stored in a microwave, 130g of cocaine worth £5,500 and almost £29,000 cash in a flat two doors away from his home on May 27, Bolton Crown Court was told.

Keys to the flat in Stowell Court, Halliwell, were found in Lomax’s possession and his fingerprints were on the pistol and a container holding some of the drugs.

“I infer from that that you had a degree of familiarity with what you were looking after,” Judge Timothy Stead told Lomax.

He added that the flat could be described as a “criminals’ warehouse.”

“It was a house for the storage of drugs, criminal property in the form of money and a fair amount of ammunition,” said Judge Stead.

Lomax pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm, stun gun and ammunition, possessing cocaine with intent to supply and concealing criminal cash.

The court heard that 28-year-old Lomax, who has a partner and young son, had refused to identify the owners of the weapons, drugs and money.

“You are someone who is to be treated as taking part in an agreement to assist really serious criminals,” said Judge Stead.

“Guns kill, maim, terrorise, and intimidate – that is why criminals want them and criminals use them.”

Lomax was jailed for six years and nine months for the offences, plus an additional nine months for breaching a suspended prison sentence imposed after he assaulted his father.