A young mother has been jailed for drug dealing and a ‘flagrant’ and repeated breach of a previous suspended sentence for a similar offence.

Megan Louise Fielden, 25, of Santon, sobbed in the dock as she was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment, which included 18 months activated from the suspended jail term imposed on March 18 last year for importing drugs through the post.

Prosecutor Roger Kane said police went to Fielden’s home on April 15 last year, following reports of an unrelated matter.

The defendant answered the door and there was a strong smell of cannabis inside.

A search of the property revealed a small quantity of cannabis, electric scales, clip seal bags and £775 in cash stashed in various locations around the kitchen including in a coffee tin.

In two Tupperware containers hidden behind clip boards they found larger quantities of cannabis. In total 179.5g of the class B drug with a street value of £3,590 was recovered.

Messages on the defendant’s mobile phones showed that Fielden was engaged in the supply of cannabis as part of a larger group operation, with evidence that the drug was supplied on tick and threats of enforcement. Mr Kane said: ‘This is not a bottom of the ladder dealer.’

He said one message showed £19,000 worth of the drug being purchased, giving an idea of the scale of the operation. Drugs supplied to those lower down the chain would ‘graft’ to pay off their debts, Mr Kane told the court.

Fielden had admitted possession of cannabis with intent to supply and being concerned in the supply of the drug as well as the breach of her suspended sentence.

Defence advocate Sara-Jayne Dodge said her client, who had three very young and vulnerable children, had got involved because of her addiction to cannabis. She was now being prescribed cannabis oil ‘so she no longer needs to mix with this murky world,’ she said.

Deemster Graham Cook sentenced Fielden to 12 months in jail for the drugs offences and 18 months for the activated sentence from last year, making a total of 30 months, of which she will serve half in prison and the remainder on licence.

He told her:’I gave you an opportunity in March last year when I imposed a suspended sentence for drug supply and production.

‘Yet within weeks you were doing it again and you never really stopped doing that. Realistically you have breached your suspended sentence repeatedly.

‘Clearly you are somebody who is improving in your lifestyle and your children are suffering as we speak and may well suffer in the future.

‘But frankly, you should have been aware of that.’