Police saw messages on dealer’s Facebook page
POLICE carrying out a search on a suspected drug dealer’s house saw messages from customers popping up on his Facebook page including ones warning him to be careful because there were cops in the area.
Officers found Simon Fowler and Anthony Murphy were involved in a “profitable enterprise” selling a range of varieties of cannabis including Blue Cheese, Skittles, and Super Dawg.
Sixty-one year-old Murphy was running the operation, giving instructions to his younger business partner - and close neighbour - including which customers should have which strain of weed.
Swansea Crown Court heard the defendants came to the attention of plain clothes police patrolling Swansea city centre on the afternoon of June 6 last year when the officers saw a man behaving suspiciously around a Mercedes car parked on Croft Street.
Hannah George, prosecuting, said as police kept observations on the Merc they saw the passenger Fowler - supplying a cannabis deal to the man through the open window of the vehicle. The officers moved in and arrested Fowler and driver Murphy, and searched the men. Murphy was found to have £450 in cash, and Fowler, aged 31, had £55 and a bag containing a small amount of cannabis.
The court heard that when the men’s houses were searched officers found a total of almost 1.4 kilos of cannabis along with scales, empty zip bags, and other “drugs paraphernalia”.
The prosecutor said more than 1.2 kilos of the drug was found under a bed in Fowler’s house in ready-to-go one ounce deals packaged into different varieties, including Blue Cheese, Skittles, Star Dawg, and Super Dawg. In Murphy’s house - which was just across the street on the Swansea cul-de-sac officers found another 163 grams of similarly labelled cannabis.
The court heard that Murphy’s laptop computer was switched on and was open at his Facebook page, and as police looked at the screen messages from customers about supplying cannabis were popping up.
Further messages then started appearing warning Murphy that there were police on the street and he should be careful.
Murphy subsequently refused to give police the PIN to his phone, but Fowler provided his, and from that mobile officers were able to access text conversations between the men about supplying cannabis in its various strains, and about prices and delivery arrangements.
Miss George said it was the prosecution case that Murphy had been running the operation and giving instructions to Fowler.
Fowler and Murphy, both of Eagles Place,
Bonymaen, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis with intent to supply when they appeared in the dock for sentencing. Neither has any previous convictions.
Andrew Evans, for Fowler, said it was clear from a pre-sentence report that the defendant was someone who had experienced “an extremely difficult upbringing” which had left him vulnerable to “the intervention of others”. He said his client had been taking Class B drugs - especially cannabis - for most of his adult life but was now seeking help for that and for his alcohol misuse, and there was every prospect that he could rehabilitate himself “and become the father he wants to be, rather than the father he had”.
Giles Hayes, for Murphy, said the defendant realised that dealing in drugs of whatever Class was a very serious offence. He said his client was struggling with ill-health, and had been told that due to his obesity he had to lose weight before he can have the heart surgery he requires.
Judge Paul Thomas QC told the pair it was clear that in the summer of 2020 they had been “heavily involved” in supplying cannabis in Swansea - and that it had been a “profitable enterprise” for the pair of them.
He said in coming to the appropriate sentence he was mindful of the guilty pleas, the defendants’ lack of previous convictions, the mental health issues both men have, and the delay in the matter coming to court
Fowler was sentenced to eight months in prison suspended for 12 months, was fined £1,000, and was ordered to complete an alcohol treatment course. Murphy was sentenced to 12 months in prison suspended for 12 months, was fined £1,000, and was ordered to complete a rehabilitation course.