A builder who was selling unauthorised Viagra-style tablets after buying them on the internet has been handed 80 hours of unpaid work.

Darren Absolom, 55, was pulled over by police during a multi-agency operation checking vehicles on September 20, 2019.

A search of his van revealed 400 tablets of Kamagra - an imported drug for erectile dysfunction – along with £2,610 in cash.

A further 44 tablets were found at Absolom’s home in Betony Walk, Haverhill, following a subsequent police search.

The drug, which contains sildenafil citrate that is also found in Viagra, is not licensed or regulated in the UK.

In police interview, Absolom, a self-employed bricklayer, told police he and a friend had bought the tablets from the internet.

He told officers he didn’t think the drugs were illegal to sell or possess, Hugh Vass, prosecuting, told the court.

Absolom said he was selling each tablet for around £2 or £3 to friends, making a profit of £1.50 to £2.50 per pill.

The court heard that Absolom had significant debts and lives “hand to mouth”.

When asked by police how much he had made from selling Kamagra over a six-month period, Absolom replied it was hundreds of pounds instead of thousands, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Phillip Farr, defending, said the tablets were “essentially a replica version of Viagra” and were “easily sourced by mail order”.

Mr Farr said Absolom could account for the money in his van having previously received cash for a job he had completed.

Absolom previously pleaded guilty to charges of possessing and selling an unauthorised medicinal product at Suffolk Magistrates’ Court on October 27.

Sentencing Absolom on Wednesday, Judge Emma Peters said it was not a “large-scale” operation but added: “Nonetheless, it is still an offence and you were still making a profit.”

Judge Peters sentenced Absolom to a 12-month community order, with 15 rehabilitation activity days and 80 hours of unpaid work.