‘Exceptional’ student caught with drugs and thousands of pounds

AN “EXCEPTIONAL” university student caught with bags of drugs and thousands of pounds in cash claimed he started dealing because he had money troubles.

Iohan Williams, 20, was caught with MDMA, ketamine and more than £2,000 in cash after being stopped and searched by a plain clothes police officer in the Cathays area of Cardiff.

Police later uncovered bags of other drugs – including cannabis and 2C-B – during a search of the property where he was living at the time, as well as drug paraphernalia.

Williams appeared at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday for sentencing for possession with intent to supply Class A – namely cocaine, MDMA and 2C-B – and Class B drugs, namely cannabis and ketamine.

The court heard how on August 28, 2020 a plain clothes police officer from South Wales Police witnessed Williams – who was 19 at the time of the offences – and another man engage in an apparent drug deal, before the pair entered a nearby address where they stayed for a couple of minutes before leaving.

Julia Cox, prosecuting, said that the officer then stopped and searched Williams, who admitted that he was in possession of both “mandy” and “ket”.

In a bag he was carrying, he was found to have 18 rip seal bags of ketamine, weighing a total of 14.3 grams and with a street value of around £720, as well as 13 rip seal bags of MDMA, totalling 10.3 grams and with a street value of £390. A burner phone, as well as £2,245 in cash was also found on his possession.

Williams then told police his address – a property on Mackintosh Place in Roath – which was then searched. A search of his bedroom revealed drug paraphernalia, including cutting agent, as well as further bags containing ketamine, cannabis, cocaine and 2C-B2.

Ms Cox said that the total street value of the drugs found at the property was around £1,700.

In a police interview, Williams admitted that he had been supplying drugs for around two weeks after finding himself in “financial hardship.”

He entered guilty pleas for all five charges in September this year. He has one previous conviction for driving under the influence of drugs in 2019, which saw him disqualified from driving for 18 months.

Defence barrister Andrew Taylor said his client was an “exceptional young man” of good character and that his appearance at Crown Court would be both his first and last.

“Mr Williams and his family are devastated by what he did. It is unfortunate for a young man to lose his good character but even more so for him to lose this good character and face sentencing,” he said.

“He is a young man of exceptional talents and has applied himself to his studies – he is expected to graduate from university with a first class honours degree or a high 2:1.”

Analysis of the drugs found was initially meant to be returned in November 2020, but was not completed until March this year, with Williams having to wait 14 months to be sentenced.

Mr Taylor added that in this period of time, his client had “reformed himself” and now understood the seriousness of his offences, as well as devoting himself to his studies.

“He didn’t have very much money and came under the spell of somebody who told him that there would be money to be made by supplying drugs to others. But the young man who was out supplying drugs in Cathays is not the young man who is in court today – he has reformed himself. Supplying these drugs causes upset and devastation and Mr Williams now realises how serious it is.

“He has a year to go of his university degree and fears that if he is sent to prison, all of his hard work will be lost.”

Sentencing, Recorder Duncan Bould told Williams: “You had your head turned by someone looking to exploit you and you were committing these offences for financial gain.

“Your intelligence cuts both ways, however – I accept that there was an element of naivety, but you’re a clever young man and you must have had some insight into the criminality of what you were doing and the detrimental effect it has on others.

“However, you are no longer a user or supplier of drugs and in the 14 months you have waiting to be sentenced you have dedicated your time to studying and have been predicted very positive results in your degree.

“These are a set of exceptional circumstances and I believe that the community and society would be better served if you weren’t to go into immediate custody.”

Williams was sentenced to 22 months detention, suspended for two years, as well as 150 hours of unpaid work in the community and an eightday rehabilitation activity requirement.

Recorder Bould told Williams that the unpaid work had been issued “to restrict liberty and remind you of the opportunity you’re being given,” before adding: “This the biggest chance you’re ever going to get, don’t throw it away.”