Dealer had £400 of drugs in car and a rifle in bedroom
A DRUG dealer tried to dodge the police, but they followed him and found £400 of cannabis in his car and a rifle in his bedroom.
Luke Campbell was found to have nearly 70g of cannabis divided into street deals, Ecstasy tablets, more than £900 of cash and a bolt-action rifle.
Sentencing him at Cardiff Crown Court, Judge David Wynn Morgan said: “That was all part and parcel of your image as a drug dealer.”
The court heard officers were on duty on Woodville Road in Cathays at around 11pm on March 3 last year when they saw the defendant appear to “shy away” from the police car.
Tony Trigg, prosecuting, said they followed him and pulled him over in Llantrisant Street and told him he would be searched after they smelt cannabis.
The officers found cannabis in the central console of the car, divided up into street deals and amounting to 68g with a potential street value of £410. Campbell had £255 on him.
Campbell was arrested and officers searched his home, where they found two Ecstasy tablets, grip-seal bags, £705 cash, a dealer’s tick list and digital scales.
They also found stickers saying medicinal cannabis, which Mr Trigg suggested may have been to disguise the controlled drugs or may have been a joke.
The court heard the officers also found a bolt-action rifle on his bedroom floor. The stock and barrel were split, but it could easily be put back together.
It was examined by a police firearms expert and found to be fully functioning, although no ammunition was found.
The expert said it was common for drug dealers to have weapons to protect themselves, although it was not known if that was true in this case.
Mr Trigg did not ask for a Proceeds of
Crime Act investigation. Judge Wynn Morgan asked why it had taken so long for the case to be dealt with.
The prosecutor said Campbell did not make full admissions and the evidence had to be examined. He accepted the delay was a cause of “great frustration”.
The judge asked: “Was it a postal requisition case?” Mr Trigg said the postal requisition was sent on January 14 this year.
Campbell, 24, from Augusta Street in Adamsdown, admitted possessing cannabis with intent to supply, possessing ecstasy and possessing a firearm.
Ruth Smith, defending, stressed her client had never been in trouble before. She said he was not working, but does have an NVQ in auto engineering.
She told the court Campbell started using cannabis when he was 15 and became a heavy user, spending £30 or £40 a day. He could not afford it and turned to dealing.
Ms Smith said he thought the rifle was an antique and bought it to restore it as an ornament.
She stressed he did not use it and it was in two pieces when it was found.
Judge Wynn Morgan said: “It is still a frightening-looking weapon and it worked.”
He told the defendant: “You are not a particularly criminally sophisticated young man.
“You have ideas above your criminal station.”
The judge noted Campbell was interviewed by the police more than a year ago, adding: “It was not until January the wheels of justice began slowly to turn in your case, meaning there has been a significant delay.”
Campbell was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, plus 20 days of a rehabilitation activity.
The judge made an order for the drugs to be destroyed and the cash to be confiscated and given to the South Wales Police drugs unit.