A Wandsworth teenager has been jailed for two-and-a-half years after admitting possession of cocaine and heroin with intent to supply.

Tommy Junior Edwards, 19, of Southfields, tried to run from a plain-clothes officer who believed he had seen him making a drug deal on Balham High Road.

A police spokesman said: "When he attempted to stop the suspect he ran off. Following a short foot chase a male was detained and searched.

"As a result of this a quantity of cannabis and cash was found. He was arrested for possession of Class B drugs with intent to supply. A subsequent search of his home address found further larger quantities of both Class A and B drugs."

Edwards' arrest, on August 11, was part of a uniformed and plain clothes police operation on Balham's Lochinvar Estate which involved around a dozen dedicated ward officers from Battersea.

Edwards pleaded guilty to possession of Class A drugs (cocaine, heroin, and MDMA Ecstasy) as well as class B drugs (cannabis) with intent to supply, and having criminal property (namely £5,000 in cash).

Edwards, who was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court, will serve his sentence in a young offenders’ institution. The money will be forfeited.