Caerphilly dealer ordered to pay back £2k after drug crimes

A Caerphilly drug dealer who handled massive quantities of cannabis and ketamine has been ordered to pay back £2,000 after a court heard he benefited by £18,817 from his crimes.

Connor Sainsbury, 21, of Brynhyfryd, Pontlottyn, was first visited by police at his home on 28 September 2022 over reports of a firearm offence. Whilst he was found in possession of a legal air rifle, officers seized a black iPhone which contained numerous messages relating to drug dealing between July and October 2022.

Although Sainsbury refused to provide his pin, access was gained through forensic software, revealing a “significant quantity” of messages about supplying ketamine and cannabis.

The defendant had been in contact with someone saved on his phone as “Liverpool”, who sent him videos of female flowering head cannabis and offered to supply wholesale amounts. “Liverpool” stated his “man was the biggest importer into the country” and imported 54kg into the UK each week.

Messages showed the pair discussed a price of £15,500 for 5kg of cannabis, with Sainsbury offering to supply the same to “Liverpool”. The sale of ketamine was also discussed, with the defendant asking to be supplied with 1.3kg.

Further messages recovered showed “Liverpool” supplied 1.9kg of cannabis to Sainsbury, which was delivered to south Wales by courier. A deal for 2.4kg of ketamine was supplied in August 2022, with the defendant complaining about the quality of the drugs. 💷

Sainsbury also sourced significant quantities of cocaine, five to 10kg at a time, from other individuals and used Snapchat to advertise drugs for sale. Messages showed he discussed how much he was owed by customers, which fell in the region of £10,000. He also sent a message threatening violence to a man who owed him £1,000.

On 13 June 2023, police visited Sainsbury’s home a second time to arrest him on drugs charges. During a search they found a collapsible baton.

Sainsbury pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of class B drugs and possession of an offensive weapon in a private place. He was sentenced to three years and eight months imprisonment at a sentencing hearing last year.

A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Newport Crown Court on Friday heard Sainsbury benefited to the tune of £18,817 as a result of his offending, but only has assets worth £2,369.

Judge Matthew Porter-Bryant ordered the defendant to pay £2,369 within one month or serve an additional 24 months imprisonment in default.