Drug dealer is jailed for seven years

A MAN who has been dealing drugs for a quarter of a century was caught red-handed with more than 400 heroin deals, a court has heard.

Paul Anthony Clawson was stopped as he headed back to Pembrokeshire having apparently been to Swansea to collect a new stash of the Class A drug.

Seven months earlier he had been caught with 200 deals of heroin before being released under investigation by police, and the judge questioned how many more supply trips the defendant had made during those months before finally being arrested again.

Clawson, now of no fixed abode, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of heroin with intent to supply, and one count of the simple possession of cocaine, when he appeared for sentencing via videolink from Swansea prison.

Tom Scapens, for Clawson, said the main mitigation he could offer on behalf of his client was his guilty pleas.

Judge Paul Thomas QC said: “Only you can do something about changing your life – the courts cannot do that. What the courts can do is make sure you are not in a position to carry on offending for a substantial period of time.”

Clawson was sentenced to a total of seven years for the possession with intent to supply charges.

The judge said the fact Clawson had been released under investigation after his arrest in November 2018 had been “absolutely appalling” – and he demanded a full written explanation from a senior officer.