A DESPERATE drug runner dad stabbed his dealer in the chest as he tried to escape the criminal world after being drawn into it when he borrowed money to fix his car’s clutch.

Antonio Betancor-Lopez has been jailed for five years and five months after he stabbed the drug dealer in Benfleet.

The 44-year-old was arrested by police in front of his teenage children at his home in Trinity Road, Southend in March last year where he was found in possession of 45 wraps of Class A drugs.

A few days earlier on March 15, Betancor-Lopez’s victim had driven from Canvey to Eastleigh Road, Benfleet at about 3.30am for a pre-arranged meet so that Betancor-Lopez could hand about £3,000 of drug money to him.

However, instead Betancor-Lopez stabbed the man, causing a slash measuring 4cm to his upper left chest.

He then fled the area and the victim called the ambulance service, and was found lying on the ground near his Mercedes.

He was taken to Southend Hospital where he was treated and due to be transferred to a hospital in London. He went into cardiac arrest and required an emergency operation, which the doctors say saved his life.

Betancor-Lopez went on to admit possession with intent to supply cocaine and wounding with intent. He was sentenced at Basildon Crown Court yesterday.

Mitigating, Mark Milliken-Smith said Betancor-Lopez had fallen into the drugs scene after taking a loan to repair his car.

He said: “The most noticeable aspect of what happened thereafter is the length of time that he sought to extract himself from the situation he got into.

“It shows how awful it is for a runner to get out once in. He was reduced to desperation against a background of threats to the family in his house.

“There were threats to bomb and burn the house. The amount of pressure on him was exceptional.”

Judge Samantha Leigh told Betancor-Lopez: “You tried lots of ways to get out of the drug world to pay the money off. You were told you had to find another runner.

“There is no suggestion you took the knife to the scene. You picked it up, he wouldn’t let you leave the drug dealing and you stabbed him once. It was a desperate act by you to get out of the situation. You were reliable and they weren’t having any of it, they were going to run you as much as they could.”