A DRUG dealer who sold heroin to addicts from a Bournemouth hotel has been jailed.

Police were called to reports of a disturbance at the TravelRest Hotel in West Hill Road at 11pm on January 4 2017. When officers arrived, they found two men outside.

However, one of the men – Andrew Garcia, who is also known by his alias Andrew McPhee – made off while the second man was taken back into the hotel.

Officers searched a hotel room and found a quantity of what they suspected were class A drugs.

The substances found were analysed and discovered to be 191 packages of heroin with a total weight of 13.2 grams and a total estimated street value of just under £2,000.

Garcia was arrested at a property in Wootton Gardens, Bournemouth days later on Friday, January 13 2017. When police arrived, he handed them a package which contained 17 wraps of cocaine and 33 of heroin.

He was then identified via CCTV as the man who had run off from the scene outside the TravelRest Hotel.

Last Friday, Garcia, now 27, was sentenced to six years in prison after he was convicted of three counts of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply them.

The defendant, who is of no fixed abode, was found guilty after a trial.

Detective Constable Jane Millard, of Bournemouth CID, said: “We are determined to tackle the issue of drug dealing and drug related activities in our communities and are committed to disrupting the efforts of suppliers such as Andrew Garcia.

“I hope this case demonstrates that those caught dealing drugs face significant sentences and we will continue to do all we can to ensure offenders are brought before the courts.

“We would urge members of the public to support these efforts by reporting any suspected drug related activity in their area to us at www.dorset.police.uk, via email 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101.”