A former university student from Bushey was jailed for two years on Friday after being caught with crack and heroin.

Prasathan Chandramohan, 20, was arrested after police officers on patrol in Cassiobury Park saw a taxi pull up and then, when they had been noticed, drive off again.

Prosecutor Peter Shaw told St Albans Crown Court that the officers were suspicious and followed the taxi into Gade Avenue where they stopped it.

The police searched the two passengers. One had nothing suspicious on him, but Chandramohan, who was the other, had a blue plastic bag in his coat, which contained wraps of white powder.

He was arrested and on his way to the police station said there were more drugs in a cupboard at his home. A search was carried out and a stash of drugs, scales and knife were recovered.

Mr Shaw said that the drugs found in his coat totalled 50 wraps of cocaine weighing 14.8 grams with a purity of 32 per cent. At his parents' home there was 2.66 grams of cocaine with a purity of 71 per cent and 13.6 grams of heroin at 27 per cent purity.

Chandramohan of Lambert Court, Bushey, pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply on May 17 last year.

Defence barrister Farrukh Usmani said Chandramohan had been a student at De Montfort University in Leicester but had been asked to leave early last year because of his drug addiction.

He said he had been experimenting with cannabis and Class A drugs and had built up a debt of £300 to his dealer. "He was offered a way to pay off the debt by delivering drugs and foolishly accepted the offer."

He said Chandramohan, who at one point had his head in his hands in the dock, was now clean off drugs and had sorted his life out.

"His punishment started when his parents discovered what had happened," said Mr Usmani.

Recorder David Miller said: "Anyone who involves themselves in the supply chain of Class A drugs can expect an immediate prison sentence. Class A drugs destroy lives and create addicts. Offences such as this have to be met with a severe punishment. You are a well educated young man who should have known a lot better."