A DEALER who operated at a skate park has been jailed after he was caught taking high value shoplifted goods in return for drugs.

Alfie Smith was seen dealing at Flowerpots Fields on the banks of the River Exe in Exeter within metres of youngsters using the nearby skate park.

Police recovered designer clothes from his room at a nearby house and found messages on his mobile telephone offering items including a £150 Hollister coat as payment.

Smith was still on prison licence when he was arrested on May 9 this year, having been jailed for his part in a major County Lines operation which used children as young as 13 to sell drugs in a wide area including Exmouth, Dawlish and Cullompton.

He retrained as a building worker during a 20 months jail sentence but failed to pass an exam needed to work as a roofer because he has very limited literacy.

He was trying to survive on benefits but obtained heroin and cocaine from an old contact and started selling on a small scale to make money.

Smith, aged 22, of no fixed address, admitted two counts of possession of class A drugs with intent to supply and was jailed for three years by Judge David Evans at Exeter Crown Court.

He told him: “The skate park, sadly, is somewhere where youths gather to play but also by drug users and dealers because it has camouflage for their activities and many exit routes.

“Your phone had messages asking if you were about to sell drugs and from a customer offering a £150 Hollister coat. One of the malign side effects of drug dealing is the encouragement to shoplift items to be used to pay for them.”

Mr Greg Richardson, prosecuting, said Smith was found with almost £500 worth of heroin in 16 wraps and nine £10 bags of crack.

Cash was seized and designer goods found in the room where he was living.

Miss Rachel Smith, defending, said Smith tried to go straight after leaving prison, where he had passed the first part of a course to qualify for a CSCS card which is needed to work in the building trade.

He hoped to get a job as a roofer but twice failed a written test he needed to pass to get the card.

He was left on just £110 a month in benefits after paying rent and took up dealing because he could not afford to pay for his addiction to cannabis.