Daniel Booth (Image: Dyfed-Powys Police)
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A drug dealer who boasted about his lucrative cocaine trade was caught out after packages of drugs were discovered hidden inside a van he had sold.
Daniel Booth, 35, of Priory Road, Milford Haven, sold a Chevrolet van for £600 on December 31 last year – but just days later, the buyer heard a strange noise from the engine. When the man removed the air filter, he found two packages containing 27 grams of cocaine and 5.9 grams of cannabis stashed inside.
The discovery was reported to police, and the buyer identified Booth as the seller.
Arrest and seizure
Booth was arrested on January 5 as he left Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court, where he had been attending over an unrelated matter. Officers seized his phone and £1,682.95 in cash, and a search of his home uncovered a further 18 grams of cannabis.
Bragging messages
Prosecutor Hannah George told Swansea Crown Court that although Booth refused to hand over his phone’s PIN, text messages uncovered through a separate drugs investigation revealed his involvement in the supply of cocaine and cannabis dating back to January 3, 2024.
The messages showed Booth had employed others to sell drugs on his behalf, with one associate owing him £1,000. He made extravagant claims about his earnings, boasting he had made £38,000 in a single day and £160,000 over four months, and that he had purchased two houses with the proceeds.
Booth also bragged about the quality of his product, describing it as “the best coke out there”. When one person told him they had been hospitalised after using his cocaine, he responded by threatening to settle the matter face-to-face.
Defence
During his police interview, Booth denied any knowledge of the drugs found in the van and claimed the cash seized had come from a vehicle sale.
He later pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis, and possession of cannabis, on the basis that he had racked up drug debts of between £18,000 and £26,000 and had been forced by his dealers to work off what he owed.
Ian Ibrahim, defending, told the court the messages were largely bluster.
“The best mitigation by some significant margin are his guilty pleas,” said Mr Ibrahim.
He said Booth and his partner had been subjected to “a relentless pursuit” by the crime gang he was indebted to, leaving the defendant with “few choices”.
“He has no houses,” he said. “He has nothing.”
Mr Ibrahim added that Booth, who managed The Vibe in Milford Haven, was now drug-free.
Sentencing
Booth, who had 27 previous convictions for 57 offences, was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment by Recorder Mark Powell KC.
