A FISH and chip shop worker who turned to drug dealing has been jailed.

Baris Sahin has been sent to prison despite finding religion and being deeply ashamed of his actions.

The 24-year-old of Salesbury Drive, Billericay, was at home with his mum and brother on December 10, 2018, when police raided the house.

A mobile phone was seized from the sofa near to where he was sitting, and a set of scales were found inside a sock in a chest of drawers.

Inside Sahin’s jacket was a paper wrap with white powder inside, later found to be cocaine, and £190 was seized from the property.

Further analysis of the mobile phones found various messages which linked Sahin to the supply of Class A drugs, including marketing messages offering the supply of the drugs to users.

Sahin went on to admit the two charges and was jailed at Basildon Crown Court on Friday.

The court heard Sahin had worked in a fish and chip shop before turning to a life of drugs.

Mitigation, the court heard Sahin had been using drugs before, but was now clean.

The court was told he is caring for his mother and planned to move away from Essex to London in the near future.

It was said Sahin had since found religion and that he was “ashamed” of his actions but that he is “happy with the person he has become now”.

However, Recorder Shane Collery QC deemed the offending too serious for a suspended sentence and sent Sahin straight to prison for two years. He had admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine and possession of cocaine.

He said his offending was aggravated by previous drug related convictions.

Sahin will serve at least half of his jail sentence before being eligible for release on licence.