Police who went to investigate ‘suspicious activity’ in Siddington, near Cirencester, caught Bosbury-based drug dealer Jakub Kowal with £850 worth of ketamine, a court heard.

Kowal was helping load some musical equipment into a vehicle when officers arrived at the scene in Parkway, Siddington, a judge was told at Gloucester Crown Court.

But because of the suspicious activity seen earlier and reported to them by witnesses, the officers searched 21-year-old Kowal and found a small packet of Ketamine powder in his wallet.

He told them he had forgotten it was there, said prosecutor Alun Williams.

The officers then searched his van, which was parked nearby, and found 28 grams of Ketamine as well as a small amount of Diazepam, a set of scales and some small plastic bags.

Messages found on Kowal’s phone showed he had been dealing and he admitted to doing so for about a year before his arrest.

The prosecutor said the evidence suggested that every time Kowal sold the drug, which he bought in bulk at £1,600 a time, he made several hundred pounds profit.

Judith Kenney, defending, handed the court character references for Kowal including one which she said was from a retired Polish police officer for whom the defendant had done some work.

Jailing Kowal for a year, on Thursday January 16, Judge Horton told him: “You had been dealing in drugs for 12 months. This was your business and you have been earning substantial sums of money from it.”

Kowal had admitted having ketamine with intent to supply and possessing Diazepam.

A spokeswoman for Gloucestershire police said: “Gloucestershire Constabulary will not tolerate illegal drug activity as it can have a negative impact on both those taking the drugs and also members of the local community.

“As a force we are fully aware of the dangers of this activity and have invested in having dedicated teams of highly specialised officers who look to identify those involved in drug dealing."

The spokesman added: "We hope that the sentencing of Jakub Kowal demonstrates our dedication to tackling the issue and would ask anyone who has concerns around someone who may be involved in drug dealing to let us know by calling 101 or speaking to an officer.”