A carer was found with almost four kilograms of amphetamines in her freezer when police raided her home.

Kelly Quinn claimed she was storing it for a dealer at her Ivybridge home but messages on her phone suggested she was also supplying it herself.

The drugs were worth up to £6,120 at street prices.

She was said to be vulnerable and open to exploitation by people more experienced in the drugs world.

The prosecution accepted a basis of plea that she was looking after the drugs rather than supplying them.

The drugs were wet when police seized them from her freezer and their weight reduced from 3.9 to 2.07 kilos once they were dried.

Quinn, aged 42, now of Brook View, Follaton, Totnes, admitted possession of class B drugs with intent to supply and was ordered to do 50 days of rehabilitation activities under a three year community order by Judge David Evans.

He told her: “You were found with two kilograms of amphetamine powder with a purity of eight per cent and you say you were storing it.

“That means you had a lesser role. You are remorseful and there is a great deal of mitigation.

“You have some mental health issues. I’m sure you understand how close you have come to prison today.”

Miss Holly Rust, prosecuting, said the drugs were found in the top shelf of Quinn’s freezer when her home was searched by police on February 12 last year.

The wet weight was 3,905.06 grams and the dry weight was 2,074.82 grams with a bulk value of around £5,000 and maximum street deal value of £6,120.

Officers recovered what they believed to be a list of customers and there were drug messages on her phone. She said she had been pressured into storing the amphetamines by people who she refused to name.

Mr William Parkhill, defending, said Quinn had vulnerabilities which made her vulnerable to exploitation by cynical drug dealers.

She has now moved on with her life and has just started a job as a carer.