Joshua Hyett (Image: South Wales Police)
Last Updated: 4 minutes ago
A drug dealer’s luck ran out when he was involved in a minor collision directly in front of passing police – who quickly spotted his suspicious behaviour at the scene.
Joshua Hyett, 29, was behind the wheel of his BMW when it collided with another BMW in the Penlan area of Swansea on December 28 last year. As officers spoke to those involved, they noticed Hyett trying to pass something to his passenger.
The search
A search of the vehicle uncovered seven boxes of diazepam containing 196 tablets and a quantity of cannabis. When Hyett himself was searched, officers found a further three boxes of diazepam pills, 7.2g of cocaine, and almost £600 in cash.
The father-of-three was arrested and taken into custody, where he refused to provide a blood sample for drug testing.
“All for personal use”
During interview, Hyett denied any involvement in drug supply, claiming all the substances were for his own personal use. He told officers the cash was a combination of benefits money, funds belonging to relatives, and proceeds from buying and selling caravans and cars.
However, an examination of his phone revealed messages linked to drug supply stretching back over the previous six months.
Guilty pleas
Hyett, of Pentre Treharne Road, Landore, Swansea, pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply, being concerned in the supply of cocaine, possession of criminal property – namely money – and failing to provide a specimen for analysis. He had previously admitted the simple possession of cannabis and diazepam. He has three previous convictions for four offences including the simple possession of Class A and Class B drugs.
Sentencing
Andrew Evans, for Hyett, told Swansea Crown Court his client had been a poly-drug user for a number of years and was the “archetypal user-dealer”. He said it was accepted that immediate custody was inevitable, and that a prison sentence would affect Hyett’s three children as well as his grandmother, with whom he lived and for whom he was the effective day-to-day carer.
Judge Huw Rees said the account of a drug user turning to dealing to fund his own use and to pay off debts was one courts heard “week after week if not day after day”. He told Hyett that his “selfishness” in taking drugs would mean innocent people in his life would end up suffering.
Hyett was sentenced to 38 months in prison with a 20% discount for his guilty pleas. He will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. He was also disqualified from driving for 31 months.
