A drugs courier has been jailed after he was caught transporting £1,800 worth of cocaine while drug-driving on a country road near Woodbury.

Alef DeSouza was stopped by police on the B3179 between Clyst St George and Woodbury and police suspected he had been smoking cannabis. A search of his BMW car revealed 46 ready wrapped street deals of cocaine.

A knife was also found inside the car along with £160 cash but charges relating to both were dropped when he appeared at Exeter Crown Court.

DeSouza comes from Brazil and came to Britain in search of a better life, initially finding work but then losing his job because of his immigration status. He had applied to the Home Office for asylum and was part of a backlog of cases awaiting adjudication.

He had been living in London but refused to tell police how he had been recruited into drug dealing or how he came to be in Devon, answering no comment to all questions.

DeSouza, aged 28, of no fixed address, London, admitted possession of cocaine with intent to supply and personal possession of cannabis and was jailed for two years and four months by Judge Stephen Climie at Exeter Crown Court.

He had already been banned from driving by magistrates after admitting being over the drug drive limit when stopped.

He told him: “You came to this country no doubt hoping for something much better than appearing at the Crown Court in Exeter. Things went wrong in your life and you ended up being co-opted into the supply of class A drugs.

“These drugs are ruining lives all across the country, day in and day out. There must be an immediate custodial sentence.”

Mr Nick Lewin, prosecuting, said DeSouza was arrested while driving a BMW 3 series on the B3179 towards Clyst St George and was searched. He was found with 46 small bags which were all slightly underweight half-gram deals of cocaine.

They weighed a total of 17.61 grams in total with a street value of £1,840. He also had 55 grams of cannabis, and £160 cash was seized from the central console.

Mr William Parkhill, defending, said DeSouza has no other convictions either in Britain or Brazil and had come to Britain in search of a better life. He had worked for a while and kept in contact with the Home Office, but then lost his job.

He had been exploited by people running an organised crime group in London and was taken to Exeter to work for them. He had no management responsibility and was acting under the orders of others.