A top judge told a drug dealer celebrating his 40th birthday in that his life had been a waste.
Lee Dawson was caught with more than £2,800 of crack cocaine and heroin outside his home in Birkenhead .
Police stopped him near to his flat on the Woodchurch estate at around 11.30am on February 21 this year.
Dawson, now of no fixed address, admitted possession of both crack cocaine and heroin with intent to supply.
He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court - on his 40th birthday - via a for sentencing.
Judge Robert Warnock checked the defendant's date of birth and said: "It's his birthday today, is that right?"
"Yes," answered Dawson, before bursting into laughter and grinning.
The court heard Dawson had appeared nervous when approached near flats known for anti-social behaviour and drug dealing.
Kate Gaskell, prosecuting, said an officer found a "freezer type bag" in a breast pocket of his jacket containing brown and white wraps.
She said: "He said to the officer he was in significant debt over drugs. He said the drugs weren't his, he was in £1,000 of debt and was doing that to pay it off."
He was found to have 9.41g of heroin, with a street value of £550, and 22.67g of crack cocaine, worth £2,267.
Ms Gaskell said his mobile phone wasn't analysed by police, but the officer noticed it was ringing several times during his arrest.
He was jailed for two years and eight months in 2011 for supplying cocaine and heroin to an undercover police officer.
Dawson was locked up again in 2013 for burglary and was convicted of crimes relating to dishonesty in 2016 and 2017.
Ms Gaskell said he was homeless at the time he was arrested again over these matters and remanded in custody.
Philip Astbury, defending, said his client had acknowledged his guilt "from the very outset" and shown "genuine remorse".
He said Dawson had a long-standing drug addiction and while he managed to stay clean for some time, "fell back into old habits".
Mr Astbury said: "This is a life I'm afraid it would seem ruined by the misuse of controlled drugs.
"As well as being a perpetrator, he's also a victim in that way."
He said his client now hoped to get drug free in jail.
Judge Warnock said: "The simple fact is in Birkenhead you were what appears to have been a relatively busy street dealer of crack cocaine and heroin.
"On this particular occasion you were found with wraps totalling a street value of some £2,800.
"I note the phone ringing in your pocket, no doubt from customers seeking you to carry out this filthy trade."
The judge said Dawson had been jailed for drug dealing in the past but told him: "You learned nothing."
He added: "As far as I can see you've continued to commit crime and more importantly, you’ve continued in this particular vein with regards to street dealing."
Jailing him for three years and four months, Judge Warnock said: "Hitherto you've led a life that quite frankly has brought difficulty and pain to others.
"You have been of no benefit or assistance during the course of your criminal life, which is extensive.
"Today, your birthday, may be - I don't know - a turning point. It's a matter only for you."
