A drug dealer exposed by his friendship with a police officer who had a secret heroin habit has been jailed.

Jermaine White sold drugs to Robert Carroll, an undercover officer who had become addicted on the job.

Carroll, of Holmfirth. who worked for Greater Manchester Police’s Operation Sigma, was supposed to be catching drug dealers in sting operations by posing as a junkie called ‘Lee’.

But after ‘inhaling fumes’ in the course of his work, he began using his alter-ego to buy heroin every day and smoke it with White.

In the four months leading up to August 2012, the pair contacted each other more than 2,200 times. Carroll even gave his police baton and a can of GMP-issue CS gas to White.

Earlier this month, the Examiner reported how Carroll, 40, was sentenced to 14 months behind bars, after admitting misconduct in public office and theft of police weapons.

White has now been jailed for four years and two months after admitting possessing CS gas, cannabis, crack cocaine and heroin with intent, and being concerned in the supply of class ‘A’ drugs to Carroll.

White, 25, of Douglas Avenue, Paddock, Huddersfield, told Manchester Crown Court that he ‘shared drugs’ with the rogue officer.

He said: “I didn’t know Lee was a police officer. If I knew I wouldn’t have got involved with him in the first place – I was talking to him as a friend.”

Sending White down, Judge Martin Steiger QC said: “Carroll had been an undercover member of the drugs squad, he was well spoken of by senior officers and had fallen prey to addiction and temptation while in police service.

“It is clear from the evidence collected and observations made by police that his principle supplier was Jermaine White.”

The judge said that it was not proven that White knew Carroll was a police officer, but he said White must have known he was dealing with someone with ‘important connections to the police’.

Carroll has since beaten his addiction with the help of his police officer wife.

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