Delivery driver told he must repay £4k from drugs work
A HERMES driver who used the same van he used for his job to transport heroin between west Wales and Newport six times, before being caught by police as he attempted to do it on a seventh occasion, has been told by a court he must pay back over £4,000 in three months, or face extended prison time.
In July of this year, we reported the court case of Thomas James, who was stopped by police at a petrol station in Cross Hands, Carmarthenshire, on April 4.
He was found to be carrying more than £17,000 worth of the drug together with £140. Police sought to detain him at the scene but he physically resisted, and caused injury to a police officer.
Once he was detained, James refused to provide a PIN number for his phone, but a police investigation using automatic number plate recognition discovered he had carried out six separate trips to deal the drugs.
He later told officers that it was smaller quantities on those occasions, something Judge Paul Thomas said put together would have created a substantial quantity.
James, 35, who was a heroin user at the time, and under employment to the delivery service, decided to embark on what was described at Swansea Crown Court as a “commercial arrangement” to transport money to Newport and bring drugs back after being approached by a third party.
He would be paid £200 and half an ounce of heroin for the service. He had no involvement in the onward dealing of the drugs.
When he was stopped by PC Grant Limebear, the Heddfan, Llanddarog, Carmarthen resident appeared nervous and tried to walk around the rear of his Ford van, before he used force to attempt to get away after he wriggled out of his jacket, causing the officer to fall and suffer injuries.
Other officers then arrived at the scene and James was arrested and taken into custody.
James pleaded guilty to possession a quantity of diamorphine with intent to supply, being concerned in the supplying of diamorphine, and assaulting PC Limebear in the execution of his duties and was sentenced to three years and six months in prison.
James reappeared before Swansea Crown Court on Thursday, November 3 for a proceeds of crime act application to be heard.
He was told he must repay the benefit amount of £4,200, £140 of which is already in police possession. Judge Paul
Thomas issued a three month deadline for him to pay the cash, and a three month prison sentence in default if he failed to pay.