Drug dealer Dennis Melhado, who was caught caught peddling crack cocaine from his bicycle, has been jailed for five years.

Melhado, 58, had 16 rocks of the class-A drug when he was arrested on his way to make a sale on the streets of Park North.

But he was spotted by plain clothes police officers as they drove past in an unmarked car and realised what was going on.

As they got out to speak to Melhado and the known addict he was meeting he asked, ‘What have you found on me? Nothing’.

And the defendant, who was jailed for four years, nine months for dealing in 2006, added: “I don’t deal any more, you caught me for that before.”

But just inches away from him on the ground were 16 wraps of the drug, each worth £20, which they believed he had dropped.

When the father-of-seven’ mobile phone was examined the police said it showed all the hallmarks of being used by a drug dealer.

Melhado, who was on the run for two-and-a-half years after being charged, pleaded not guilty to possessing drugs with intent to supply. After a trial at Swindon Crown Court a jury of seven women and five men took less than an hour to convict him.

They were told how he had been spotted on the corner of Bridport Road and Whitbourne Avenue shortly before 7pm on June 22, 2010.

Sgt Scott Hargreave and a colleague were in the car with the windows open when they saw the two men approaching each other, with Melhado talking on his mobile.

As well as the drugs and phone he was found to have a large amount of cash on him, which he said he had won at the bookies.

The jury were told in the week before his arrest his phone had received 1,136 calls from 164 different numbers, with 85 per cent of the conversations lasting less than 30 seconds.

They heard that 52 of the calls were from telephone boxes, with 39 from a pay phone close to the room he rented, in Tudor Walk, Walcot.

When he was questioned by police Melhado said he had the same phone from before he was jailed and received calls from people wanting drugs, but he ignored them.

At his trial, though he declined to give evidence, his lawyer suggested the drugs found on the ground were nothing to do with him and it was a coincidence he was close by.

Chris Oswald, defending, said Melhado suffered angina, a perforated ulcer and other health problems.

“He was on his toes for two and a half years. He was under constant treatment at the hospital,” he said.

Jailing him, Judge Peter Blair QC said: “The evidence was overwhelming and it means that by pleading not guilty you have lost any opportunity of getting any credit from me in terms of reducing the sentence that is coming to you.

“The aggravating features are that you have a previous conviction from 2006 for similar offending, for which you received four years and nine months.

“That plainly didn’t dissuade you because within 16 months of being released from that you committed this offence.”