A CRACK cocaine dealer has been caught selling class A drugs to police officers.

Twice in two days Jesse-James Boyles was snared during the undercover sting operation on the streets of Colchester.

Essex Police has spent more than a year carrying out Operation Keeper to try and disrupt the £15million-a-year north Essex drug dealing industry.

Boyles, 23, of Colchester, is the latest to appear in court.

Colette Harper, prosecuting, said: "Operation Keeper is a covert operation in Colchester, Clacton and Braintree to cut drug supply.

"On June 17, 2015, an undercover officer called the defendant and there was a conversation about him supplying drugs.

"They arrived at a location and he handed over two wraps.

"A forensic examination found purity of 14 per cent."

The next day the officer repeated the process before arresting the suspect.

Boyles admitted two counts of supplying crack cocaine when he appeared at Colchester Magistrates' Court yesterday.

Sentencing was transferred to Chelmsford Crown Court because street dealing has a starting point sentence of three years, which is beyond the powers magistrates have.

Boyles will be sentenced on August 15.

He has been released on bail until then.

Chairman of the bench Jacky Froggart warned him to expect to be jailed.

Essex Police is currently running multiple operations to target drug dealing due to the growth of the industry and the arrival of armed drug dealing gangs into the area.

Weekly raids are being carried out in north Essex as well as operations to prevent the drugs being brought in to the region.

On Saturday two people were arrested during the latest raid after a search warrant was executed on the Greenstead Estate.

Anyone with information about drug dealing or the gangs involved in north Essex can call Essex Police on 101 or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.