A DRUG dealer who was serving a suspended sentence after police seized £27,000 of cannabis from his home was back before the court after being caught drug-driving.

Prosecutor David Singh told Swansea Crown Court that Sean Williams’ Toyota Yaris was flagged up by a police officer’s ANPR system in Hendy on December 8. Williams carried on to Water Street in Pontarddulais, where the officer pulled him over.

Mr Singh said the officer “noticed a strong smell of cannabis” coming from the vehicle.

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After a positive roadside test, Williams was arrested and was taken in to custody, where he recorded having 5.8 micrograms of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol – cannabis – per litre (µg/L) of blood.

The legal limit is 2µg/L.

The defendant pleaded guilty to drug-driving at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on June 25, and the case was sent to Swansea Crown Court for sentence.

Williams, 29, of Ger Ty Mawr in Carway, had 12 previous convictions for 20 offences, and this latest offence put him in breach of a suspended sentence from July last year.

This came about after police raided an address in Pontyberem belonging to Williams on April 20, 2021. They seized 2.423kg of cannabis – which had an overall street value of “up to £27,000”, and a total of £5,345 in cash.

As he was arrested, Williams said to the officers: “If you came a week earlier you would’ve caught me growing it”.

On that occasion, he was handed a 22-month sentence, suspended for 18 months.

Judge Paul Thomas KC said that Williams’ application to his suspended sentence had been “not good”.

Matthew Murphy, in mitigation, said Williams had “full understanding and acceptance” of the situation he found himself in before the court.

“The defendant has significant mental health difficulties,” Mr Murphy said.

“He turns to these substances in order to deal with those mental health issues.”

The defendant had a business as a recovery truck driver, but would have to “start again” due to his driving ban, Mr Murphy said.

“He accepts that this wrongdoing is only his own fault.”

Judge Thomas disqualified Williams from driving for 16 months, and sentenced him to three months, suspended for a year, for the drug-driving offence.

He must complete the Thinking Skills programme and 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

His previous suspended sentence order was also extended by a further six months as a result of the breach.