TEENAGER James Joyce has been found guilty of selling heroin and cocaine in the Tesco Express car park in Stroud.

Joyce, 18, was found guilty of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply by a jury at Gloucester Crown Court yesterday, Wednesday.

The jury could not reach unanimous decisions - their verdicts were by majorities of 10 to two.

Joyce, who had denied the charges, was remanded in custody and will be sentenced along with others involved at a later date.

At the start of the trial, prosecutor Ian Fenny told the jury: “On April 24 police officers were observing suspected Class A drug users in Stroud as they approached a parked Rover car.

“Three hours later the car returned and entered the Tesco Express car park.”

Mr Fenny said the suspected drug-users then went up to the vehicle.

When police approached them, three men in the back seat of the Rover, including the defendant, ran away, he added.

“There was a chase and a youth, another man and the defendant were caught and arrested,” said Mr Fenny.

“On the back seat, where the defendant had been sitting, was a large number of wraps of heroin and crack cocaine, about £1,000 worth in street deals.”

When Joyce was searched by police, three additional wraps of Class A drugs and two mobile phones were discovered, both of which had drug-related text messages on them, said Mr Fenny.

In evidence, Joyce, of Hucclecote Road, Gloucester, said that he did not know the driver of the car and had only got into the vehicle because he thought they were all going into town to meet some girls.

He told the court that he ran away from the vehicle because he thought he had some cannabis on him and he panicked when he saw the police.

But before running away he said that he borrowed a jacket which happened to have three wraps of Class A drugs in the pockets.

Joyce told the court he was a homeless 'sofa-surfer' and depended on handouts from his mother and uncle.

“On that day it was my best friend’s birthday and the car came to pick me up and take me to Stroud so that we could meet some girls and celebrate," he claimed.