AN AMMAN Valley drug dealer who made more than £210,000 from selling cocaine must pay back just over £11,000.

Richard Thomas, 43, of Bryncethin Road in Garnant, was sentenced on July 25 to a total of five and a half years for a series of drug offences.

He pleaded guilty to all charges.

Thomas was caught in possession of six grams of cocaine at an address on Heol Y Garreg Las in Llandeilo on May 3, and a further 28.7 grams of cocaine on Pontamman Road in Ammanford on June 13.

At a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing, it was determined that Thomas had profited to the sum of £210,556.60 from his offending.

Prosecutor Sian Cutter said it was agreed that Thomas had an available amount of £11,119.83.

Judge Catherine Richards made a confiscation order for that amount.

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Swansea Crown Court previously heard that Dyfed-Powys Police raided an address on Heol Y Garreg Las in Llandeilo on May 3. Inside, Richard Thomas was sat next to two bags of cocaine – totalling six grams and worth up to £800.

Thomas also had £860 in cash next to him, and £335 out on the living room table.

“He said he was only at the address as he was meeting someone to buy a car, which was why he had the cash,” Ms Cutter had told the court. He claimed the drugs were for his personal use.

His phone was seized, and it was later found that messages showed he had been dealing cocaine and cannabis back to August 2022.

One of the messages involved Thomas buying 4.5 ounces of cocaine for £4,200 which he could sell on to street-level dealers.

Thomas was arrested after the raid, but was released under investigation.

At just before 9pm on June 13, police stopped a car driving on Pontamman Road in Ammanford. There was three people inside – one of whom was Thomas.

The officers found remnants of white powder and a stun gun in the car, so asked the occupants to step out of the car.

As the vehicle was searched, the officers noticed Thomas fiddling with his waistband and underwear. They discovered he had discarded a bag of 28.7 grams of cocaine – worth a potential £3,600 – behind him.

Thomas also had a phone on him, which revealed he had resumed dealing just weeks after he had been released under investigation for the previous offences.

Defence counsel Matthew Murphy had told the court that Thomas’ offending was “to feed his own habit”.

Judge Paul Thomas KC jailed the defendant for a total of five and a half years.

This included three years – running concurrently – for both possession with intent to supply cocaine and being concerned in the supply of cocaine. He received a two-and-a-half year consecutive sentence for the second possession with intent to supply cocaine charge, and 12 months – running concurrently – for being concerned in the supply of cannabis.