A STREET dealer involved in drug trafficking in Keighley has been locked up for four-and-a-half years.

At Bradford Crown Court, 54-year-old father-of-twelve Zaffar Iqbal was described as being part of an organised group that was "blighting the lives" of people in the town.

He was caught as part of Operation Saintpond, run by the West Yorkshire Police organised crime unit, which targets drug gangs across the county.

Prosecutor Alisha Kaye said an undercover officer called a drugs line on November 1 last year and asked to buy two wraps of crack cocaine.

The officer was directed to Russell Street in Keighley.

When the deal took place the officer paid £40 for the two wraps to two men in a black Seat Leon, one of whom was later identified as Iqbal.

He was arrested on April 19 this year at an address in Granville Street, Keighley, where officers also found drug paraphernalia including scales, grip seal bags, a small bag of cannabis, and two mobile phones.

Iqbal later pleaded guilty to supplying crack cocaine, a Class A drug.

Miss Kaye said: "He admitted being the keeper of the Seat Leon. He said he was a cannabis user. He denied gaining anything from supplying drugs."

The court heard that Iqbal had previous convictions for identical offences and received a four-year prison sentence in 2017.

In a statement read to the court Inspector John Barker, who heads Keighley Neighbourhood Policing Team, said the drug trade had brought violence to the town.

He said: "It brings in serious disorder involving weapons, and this causes a significant impact on the local community which is left fearing for its safety.

"This often blights the lives of those living in the local area."

Mitigating, Michael Greenhalgh said Iqbal, who appeared via video link from HMP Leeds, suffered from various health issues including diabetes and had had three heart attacks, which meant he had been unable to work for a prolonged period. He was also a heavy consumer of cannabis.

He said Iqbal had "a chequered history" and had made "a series of bad choices" by getting involved in the supply of drugs.

Sentencing Iqbal to four-and-a-half years in prison, His Honour Judge Colin Burn described him as "a routine drug dealer" who had a history of being involved in an illegal trade.

The judge also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs and the mobile phones.