Cocaine dealer caught out by text messages on mobile phone

INCRIMINATING texts from a cocaine dealer were found on a phone discovered at the scene of a car break in.

The messages showed the defendant was dealing crack cocaine to users.

Tashan Fettah, 34, was arrested on November 6, 2020, after a phone was found in a car in Barry where a burglary had taken place.

When police looked through the phone, they found messages from a contact called “Tashan New” relating to the sale of class A drugs.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court last week heard there were also messages advertising high quality crack cocaine for sale.

Fettah was arrested at the hotel where he was based and police searched his accommodation, where Subutex and clingfilm were found, as well the home where his family lived.

Fettah, of HMP Parc, later pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs. The court heard he had previous convictions for possessing heroin and cannabis.

At the time of his sentencing, he was serving a sentence of five years imprisonment for a section 18 assault.

In mitigation, the court was told there had been a significant delay in the case reaching court, and there was a lack of aggravating previous convictions.

Defence barrister Hashim Salmman said his client’s family “unravelled” following the death of his 14-year-old brother, and he was “introduced to crack cocaine and heroin” by his older brother.

Sentencing, Judge Lucy Crowther sentenced Fettah to a total of 30 months’ imprisonment. This lastest punishment will run concurrently with his exisiting sentence.