POLICE found a man asleep in a car and another in a garden when they raided a suspected drugs den.

David Murphy, 41, of Glebe Road, Tiptree, was found in the car with heroin, cannabis and diazepam.

Brian Cogger, 57, of no fixed address, confessed to owning cannabis found in the house.

Murphy and Cogger admitted possession of drugs at Colchester Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

In mitigation, Georgie Prasad, defending Murphy, said he had stopped taking heroin in 2003, but returned to his old ways after losing his job and breaking up with his partner early this year.

She said: “He had gone to buy drugs at the house, taken some and then fallen asleep when he got in to his car. He has since sought help, is taking methadone and is hoping to go into residential rehab soon.”

Rakesh Sharma, defending Cogger, said in mitigation he had been sleeping on friends’ sofas for the past eight years.

He said: “He didn’t deny the cannabis was his, because he didn’t want to cause any problems for the person who owns the house.”

Murphy was fined £100 with £30 costs.

Cogger was fined £70 with £30 costs.