Cwmbran taxi driver jailed after he turned to drug dealing
A TAXI driver who turned to dealing cocaine after he lost his cabbie’s licence was found with more than £7,000 in cash when his home was raided.
Ryan Jones, 36, of Rhymney Court, Thornhill, Cwmbran, also had 1,700 prescription drugs tablets at his address, including tramadol and diazepam, prosecutor Paul Hewitt said.
Gwent Police officers executed a search warrant which also saw them recover 2.59 grams of cocaine and 76.9 grams of cannabis, Cardiff Crown Court was told.
Jones pleaded guilty to possession of class A, B and C drugs with intent to supply on October 6.
The class C drugs were made up of tramadol, diazepam, pregabalin and alprazolam tablets and had a street value of around £1,000.
The court was told that Jones had previous convictions but none for any relevant offences.
Hilary Roberts, mitigating, said his client had turned to drink and drugs after his former partner had lost a child in pregnancy.
His barrister added: “The defendant was a taxi driver who lost his taxi driver licence and had no income.
“He was spending far too much money on drink and drugs and built up enormous debts very quickly.
“Things got out of control for him.
“The defendant had been a hard-working family man.
“He looks back with disgust at what he has done and is genuinely remorseful.”
Mr Roberts said the defendant ended up owing money to banks and then to drug traffickers.
He asked for his guilty pleas to be taken into consideration.
Sentencing him, Judge Richard Williams told Jones: “You were a street level drug dealer. You were dealing these drugs for profit and you played a significant role.”
He jailed the defendant, who appeared in court via video link from Cardiff Prison, for a total of 34 months.
Jones is due to face a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing in the new year with a date fixed for February 24, 2021.
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