A DRUG dealer told police when they busted him that he took up to 300 MDMA tablets each weekend.

Aaron Roberts, 24, of Bridport has been jailed for nine years.

A court heard he bought and sold drugs over the 'dark web' - online activity and hidden websites which require specific software to access.

Roberts, 24, pleaded guilty at Bournemouth Crown Court to a number of drug-related offences including the importation of class A drugs, the importation of class B drugs, production of class A drugs and possession with intent to supply class A and B drugs.

He was sentenced at the same court today, Friday.

The court was told that Roberts advertised the drugs for sale on the dark web using the website Silk Road.

Roberts' activities were discovered when on 15 January 2015 the UK Visas and Immigration intercepted an envelope addressed to Roberts of a DVD case containing 101 ecstasy tablets.

On 30 March 2015 a search warrant was executed at Roberts' home address.

A search of his room uncovered around 470 grams of MDMA (ecstasy), 19 grams of cocaine and over 1,200 N-Bomb tabs (powerful synthetic hallucinogens similar to LSD).

A large quantity of cash and equipment used in the production of drugs were also located.

His computer equipment and mobile phones were seized and officers found evidence of him buying and selling drugs online.

During police interview Roberts claimed that the drugs were for his own use and that he took between 200 and 300 MDMA tablets each weekend.

Following police interview he was bailed. When he returned from police bail officers executed a second warrant at his address and discovered that Roberts had continued to order drugs off the internet and a further package containing cannabis was seized.

Detective Constable Tom Hall, of Weymouth CID, said after the case: "I hope this sentence will send a strong message that drug dealing will not be tolerated in Dorset.

"This kind of organised crime is far from victimless. It has huge impact on the community at varying levels from the acquisitive low-level crime fuelled by drug addiction, to the pain experienced by those having lost a loved one due to drugs.

"Roberts was found to be in possession of a variety of drugs including cocaine, ecstasy and N-Bombs. It is widely known that drugs like these are responsible for numerous deaths.

"Dorset Police, in partnership with the National Crime Agency and UK Visas and Immigration, will continue to robustly pursue and bring to justice those offenders that contribute nothing to our communities and instead seek to profit by putting others at risk of harm.”