A MAN has been sentenced to three years in jail after being found in possession of a knife, Class A and Class B drugs.

Suliaman Bah, 25, of no fixed address, was stopped at The Level in Brighton on 20 November after plain clothes officers suspected they witnessed a drug exchange during Operation Safety patrolling activities.

Bah resisted when officers attempted to stop him. He was subsequently detained and searched during which officers seized a kitchen knife, a bag containing 30-40 wraps of crack and heroin, a large bag of cannabis, £370 in cash and two burner-style phones.

Bah stated to the arresting officer that the cannabis was his but he had never seen the other items before and he was wearing someone else’s jogging bottoms.

He was arrested on suspicion of possession of a knife in a public place, two counts of supply of a Class A drug, two counts of possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply, possession of a Class B drug with intent to supply and possession of criminal property.

Bah was found guilty of all seven charges.

He was sentenced to three years at Lewes Crown Court on Tuesday, 21 January.

Chief Inspector Rachel Swinney, of Brighton and Hove division, said: “We are determined to keeping Sussex safe by tackling knife crime and taking knives off our streets. We continue to make the city a hostile environment to those dealing drugs.

“Plain clothes patrols is one of the many tactics we’ll be using in the city to address knife possession across Brighton and Hove.

“Tackling knife crime remains a top priority and we hope this sentencing demonstrates our commitment to protecting the public and bringing offenders to justice.”