Drug dealer caught out by fingerprints on packages

A DRUG dealer who challenged police to find forensic evidence linking him to packages of crack cocaine found in a car left fingerprints on the drugs.

He later claimed he got into trouble with another dealer and was forced to prepare wraps for street deals.

Trevelle Taylor, 21, was stopped by police in Cardiff on January 17 after he was seen driving with false number plates. A search of his Volkswagen Golf resulted in the discovery of two packages wrapped in green recycling bags.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday heard one package contained 22 wraps of crack cocaine, weighing a total of 4.7g and worth £440.

The second package contained six wraps of £10 street deals weighing 0.064g.

Taylor’s address in Hendre Road, Trowbridge, was searched by police and £380 cash was found inside.

Prosecutor Eugene Egan said the defendant told police it was not his drugs and challenged them to carry out forensic tests as he would not be linked to the packages. But police accepted the invitation and they discovered his fingerprints on two of the 10 packages examined. The defendant later pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply controlled drugs of class A.

Defence barrister Harry Baker said his client has learning difficulties, and fell into trouble with another dealer, who owned the drugs, and forced him to prepare the wraps of crack cocaine for onward supply.

Taylor was sentenced to a total of 40 months’ imprisonment. An additional nine months’ imprisonment was included in the sentence to reflect the breach of a suspended sentence.