A drug dealer who had nearly £15,000 in his car threw packages of drugs out of the window as he was being chased by police, a court heard.
Raja Imtiaz, 31, has been jailed after leading police on a pursuit through south Manchester lasting more than five minutes.
Manchester Crown Court heard that Imtiaz was driving a Peugeot 206 on Mauldeth Road at about 10.55pm on March 12 last year, when he was asked to pull over by a police officer.
He did so, but when the officer got out to speak to him, Imtiaz sped off.
He turned off his car's lights, and shortly after drove onto the wrong side of the road on Kingsway facing oncoming traffic.
Imtiaz reached speeds of 50mph in a 30mph zone on Burnage Lane, and also went through three red lights.
At one point police managed to block him off in a cul-de-sac, but Imtiaz mounted the pavement and was able to get away.
Read more of today's top stories here
As he reached Fog Lane in Didsbury, Imtiaz started throwing packages out of the car.
Smoke then started to 'bellow' from the car, and the speed of the vehicle started to slow as it travelled along Wilmslow Road and onto Barlow Moor Road before eventually coming to a halt.
Police searched the car and found just short of £15,000 in cash, prosecutor Maria Brannan said.
Imtiaz told police he could account for the cash, saying he was involved in businesses that sold legal highs and dealt in bitcoin.
He had thrown four packages from the car, of which two were recovered.
One package contained eight wraps of cannabis, with a street value of £120, and another had 3.59g of cocaine, worth £175 at street value.
Imtiaz was also found in possession of an iPhone, which he was prohibited from having unless he informed the police of it due to a sexual harm prevention order imposed previously.
The court heard Imtiaz has a 'very bad' criminal record, including previous jail terms for possessing a firearm, possession of a knuckleduster and sexual offences.
Fans furious at Jermaine Jenas for his commentary during Man City vs Tottenham Hotspur
He also was banned from driving at the time, the court heard.
Defending, Rachel Shenton said Imtiaz had been addicted to class A drugs since he was 18, and that he had been selling cannabis to fund his habit.
He said Imtiaz was homeless at the time of the incident, and had all his possessions in the car.
Sentencing, Judge Hilary Manley told him: "You have a bad criminal record.
"It was a prolonged and persistent piece of dangerous driving."
Imtiaz, of HMP Forest Bank, pleaded guilty to counts of dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, breaching a sexual harm prevention order, possession of cocaine and possession of cannabis with intent to supply.
He was jailed for 18 months, and banned from driving for two years and nine months.
