A STUDENT was forced to work for County Lines dealers after his cousin lost a package of drugs.

Two months after the drugs went missing, Muhamadu Embalo’s cousin – with whom he was living at the time – had been stabbed.

The dealers told Embalo, who had moved to London to study business at university, the debt had shifted onto him.

He was sent to Swindon, given a phone and drugs and told where to sell the class As.

Swindon Crown Court heard he had sold undercover officer “Yasmin” three wraps of heroin and crack cocaine for £20 on September 3.

The following day the officer rang the drugs line, called Goldie, again and was told where to go. Embalo initially did not turn up but later arrived and sold the officer three wraps for the knock down price of £15.

Two hours later police found Embalo nearby. Near him were two balls of drugs containing 130 wraps of crack cocaine and 29 wraps of heroin, together worth around £795 on the street. £1,770 was found stuffed down a sock.

Embalo, 21, now of Stagsden, Alton Goldhay, near Peterborough, admitted possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine, being concerned in supplying heroin and crack cocaine and supplying heroin and crack cocaine to “Yasmin”.  He denied a charge of possession of criminally-acquired cash and a formal not guilty verdict was recorded by the judge.

The young man, originally from Africa but who was said to be a Portuguese national, had been unable to work or claim benefits after he lost his papers.

Emma Handslip, defending, said that had made Embalo “ripe for exploitation”.

Jailing Embalo for three years and five months, Judge Jason Taylor QC said: “I accept that to some degree you were dragged into this albeit then your intention was to make money.”