Six rounds of ammunition were discovered by police during a search of the home of a suspected drug dealer, a Supreme Court jury has heard.

Winston Paynter, of North Shore in Devonshire, is charged with possession of diamorphine – otherwise known as heroin – with a street value of almost $1 million, along with the possession of ammunition without a licence.

Mr Paynter, 42, was stopped by a mobile police patrol on Middle Road in Warwick on the afternoon of April 11, 2019.

Sergeant Anthony Smith, the driver of a patrol car travelling directly behind Mr Paynter’s work van, told the court he decided to pull him over after seeing him throw an object into the back of the vehicle while driving.

According to testimony given by Mr Smith in court yesterday, Mr Paynter pulled into a bus lay-by near the Four Ways Inn restaurant after being ordered to pull over, and was detained by Mr Smith and three other officers while they conducted a search of the van.

Mr Smith told the jury that that initial search unearthed a white plastic bag and an envelope in the rear of the vehicle.

He said Mr Paynter was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of a controlled drug and taken to Hamilton Police Station, while his van was driven to the police compound at Prospect for further examination.

Although no further evidence was found in the van, police did seize a bounty of items during a subsequent search of Mr Paynter’s one-bedroom apartment.

During the hearing, three of the six officers involved in the search of the property gave evidence.

Police Constable Denise Rodney told prosecutor Alan Richards that she found the ammunition double-bagged in a shoebox in a kitchen cupboard, along with a large bag containing 17 boxes of a sleeping aid in the bedroom closet.

A collection of manilla envelopes and old magazines discovered behind a water heater were also seized and entered into the court as evidence.

Also discovered during the search was a set of digital scales in the kitchen, a cutting board in the bedroom, and papers listing a number of names and addresses.

Defence lawyer Marc Daniels of law firm Marc Georffrey, questioned officers about procedures during the arrest and search.

Under cross-examination by Mr Daniels, Sergeant Roger Saints acknowledged that none of the officers turned on their body cameras after stopping Mr Paynter and searching his vehicle.

Mr Saints also accepted that he should have cautioned the suspect after deciding to arrest him, and that there were sometimes delays of several days before officers had time to write up their notes following an arrest.

Mr Saints also agreed that officers often discussed incidents with colleagues when writing up their notes “to get the facts straight”.

When cross-examining Mr Smith, Mr Daniels suggested that the officer’s memory of the events – which took place almost four years ago – was not reliable.

And under cross-examination, Ms Rodney confirmed that a police photographer was not present during the search of Mr Paynter’s home.

The trial, before Puisne Judge Juan Wolffe, continues.