A DRUG dealer who ran a crooked "cottage industry" from his Kendal home has been jailed for 28 months.

Carlisle Crown Court heard how Luke Benjamin Harris sold standard illicit substances and more "esoteric" drugs during a seven-month period around the turn of 2017.

Police uncovered 27-year-old Harris's criminal activity when they visited his home on December 14 that year. They recovered a "substantial quantity" of drugs valued at £1,660, along with £310 cash, and also found a ventilation system and equipment more commonly found in a chemistry lab.

Analysis of WhatsApp chat on Harris's mobile phone revealed he had been "actively involved" in dealing a range of class A and B substances and, Judge James Adkin observed, had also given advice to others of how to make designer drugs.

Harris, of Garth Bank, admitted seven charges - supplying class A drugs methadone and LSD, and class B ketamine; possession with intent to supply of class B cannabis, ketamine and class A hallucinogenic substance DMT; and possession of class A mescaline.

Judge Adkin heard of Harris's struggle with health difficulties, an active dependence on a multiplicity of drugs, and that he was deemed a "low risk" of reoffending.
But he concluded that only an immediate prison term could be justified.

"You were essentially running a cottage industry, selling both standard illegal drugs and more esoteric drugs," Judge Adkin observed. "You also were running a small laboratory for experimenting and creating your own drugs."