A DRUG dealer caught with crack cocaine and a shotgun during a crack house raid has been jailed for eight years.

Mohamed Hashi Sharif, 26, of Holloway Road, Holloway, was convicted at Blackfriars Crown Court on Wednesday (Feb 16) of keeping a firearm, handling stolen goods and possession of Class A drugs.

Police raided a flat in Salisbury Walk, Archway, in July last year and discovered a sawn off shotgun and more than 300 catridges for the weapon. Officers from the Islington Crime Squad - led by Sergeant Derek Wright - also found two lumps of crack cocaine, four smaller bundles of heroin and a small quantity of cannabis.

And the drug cops found �500 in dye stained �10 notes, which they say was obtained through crime.

Sharif was charged on July 13 last year with handling stolen goods, possession of a Section 5 firearm - namely a sawn-off shotgun - and two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A and Class B drugs.

The gunman was sentenced to eight years imprisonment at Blackfriars Crown Court which includes five years for having the shotgun, two years for drug dealing and one year for handling the cash.

Sergeant Wright said: “An armed gunman and a weapon capable of taking a life has been taken off the streets of Islington. This was a thorough investigation by the Islington Crime Squad and it will have a considerable impact on the local community. This conviction sends out a very clear message to those who possess guns and supply illegal drugs that they will be dealt with vigorously by police in Islington.”

Sharif had pleaded guility to keeping the shotgun but not guilty to possession of drugs with intent to supply.