A DRUG-dealing couple kept their amphetamines in the freezer of the family home, a court heard.

When police stormed the Hereford home of Clint Huskins, 35, Michelle Bounds, 46, nine months ago, they found 'skunk' cannabis worth almost £600, and high-purity speed stashed in the family freezer.

The three-bedroom Charles Witts Avenue house was also home to Bounds' five children, the youngest just 13-years-old, Hereford Crown Court was told.

Huskins and Bounds pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply the drugs, while her son Louis Bounds, 20 - a daily user of cannabis - pleaded guilty to simple possession of cannabis and amphetamines.

When police raided the Hunderton property following a tip-off, all three were present, and Bounds told officers “there is some base in the freezer".

Christopher Lester, prosecuting, said: “They all said various different things, but they all by and large sought to be taking the blame.”

Probation officer Linda Morris told the court that father-of-seven Huskins had allowed his £240-a-month unemployment benefits to lapse as the former factory worker looked for work in a more “old-fashioned way”.

She said: “When he couldn’t find work, a friend suggested a way of making easy money.”

The court heard how, in exchange for storing the drugs, he would receive £20 every time his friend would collect them.

“He was fearful when he started, but over time it became more normalised and he felt immune from the consequences.

“He was unsophisticated and rather naive, and regrets the example he has set for his children.”

Judge Toby Hooper added that Michelle Bounds had been drawn into the scheme.

As well as weighing scales and cannabis, officers found 17.38 grams of the Class B amphetamine, known as Speed or Base.

When tested, some of it proved to be a much higher purity than is commonly found on the street dealing – around 66 per cent, compared to the 10-20 per cent range usually found – leading experts to believe it was intended to be further ‘cut’ with other substances and sold on.

Louis Bounds, who the court heard had recently acquired a temporary job, was handed a £200 fine, plus the victim surcharge fee.

Both Huskins and Michelle Bounds were given a sixth-month sentence, suspended for 12 months, and a supervision order that would run for 12 months.

Huskins was also ordered to complete 80 hours unpaid work, and his partner 60 hours.