A suspected drug dealer was caught counting out large quantities of cash as he sat in his car outside a supermarket, a court has heard.

Dwayne Gilbert was arrested on the evening of August 12, 2014, after a policeman spotted him sitting in a green Renault convertible outside Arnold’s on St John’s Road, Pembroke.

Officers later attended Mr Gilbert’s Southampton home and discovered zip lock bags containing heroin and cocaine, jurors were told yesterday.

Opening the case for the prosecution Kenlyn Swan said: “This case is about greed. It centres around making vast money through the selling and distribution of illicit drugs.”

Officers from the drugs unit descended on the Arnold’s car park at about 9.35pm and arrested Mr Gilbert as he sat in the driver’s seat of his car.

Ms Swan told the court: “From his front pocket they retrieved plastic twists or bags as well as a quantity of cash — $1,152.

“Shortly after that they searched the vehicle. What could be seen clearly in the right passenger side was eight bundles of cash. In the back seat was a backpack. They searched that and found $10,776 as well as scales. The scales were analysed and traces of the drug heroin were found.”

Later the same evening officers from the drugs unit attended Mr Gilbert’s home in Granaway Heights.

The court was told that police discovered five zip lock bags containing a white substance in the bedroom underneath a pile of dirty washing in a Mr Chicken bag. The white substance was later found to be cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin, jurors were told. Ms Swan told jurors that Mr Gilbert’s DNA was found to be a major contributor to swabs taken from some of the cash seized by officers and the five zip-lock bags found at his home.

Candy Zuleger from Trinity DNA Solutions in Florida, told the court that a bundle of US cash and the zip-lock bags contained a DNA mixture.

But she said a major donor consistent with Mr Gilbert’s profile was identified.

However, Ms Zuleger said a large bundle of Bermuda cash and three smaller bundles of the same currency also showed DNA mixtures from at least five individuals and that it could not be determined if Mr Gilbert was included or excluded.

Detective Constable Khalid Pitcher described to jurors how he and other officers seized and packaged the drugs and money found in Mr Gilbert’s car and at his home. Under cross examination Charles Richardson, Mr Gilberts’ lawyer, proceeded to take Detective Constable Pitcher through his client’s list of previous convictions that totalled 25 pages.

Mr Richardson highlighted convictions dating back to 1981 for theft and possessing cocaine, cannabis and heroin. He said: “You know Mr Gilbert is a junkie who steals to support his habit,” adding that this is how Mr Gilbert is known to police.

Detective Constable Pitcher had previously told the court that he had not known Mr Gilbert prior to the case. But he did acknowledge that Mr Gilbert had no convictions for supplying drugs.

During re-examination, prosecutor Loxly Ricketts asked Detective Constable Pitcher if the later theft offences, which included obtaining credit by false deposit in 2006, became more complex and the officer replied: “Yes, it is a more complex and more serious type of theft.”

Mr Gilbert denies three charges of possessing controlled drugs with intent to supply, possessing drug related equipment and possessing the proceeds of criminal conduct. The trial continues.

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