Ely dealer jailed for Pontypridd cocaine supply line

A drug dealer who ran a cocaine supply line into Pontypridd has been handed a prison sentence of three years and eight months.

Macauley Cotterill, 28, from Ely, appeared at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Friday where he admitted possession with intent to supply cocaine and acquiring criminal property.

The investigation began on November 29, 2025, when officers arrested a man who had been offered cocaine through a mobile phone number. Police traced the number back to Cotterill, uncovering evidence from previous phone downloads that he was operating a drugs line supplying the Pontypridd area.

Officers moved in on December 11, 2025, executing a warrant at an address in Treforest where Cotterill was arrested. The search uncovered damning evidence including £3,650 in cash, multiple wraps of white powder, weighing scales and two mobile phones.

Detective Inspector Ian Jones from the Mid-Glamorgan OCU team delivered a stark warning following the sentencing: “Anyone involved in the production and supply of Class A drugs should know that this illegal trade does not pay. What you think is going to earn you easy money is instead going to earn you an easy trip to prison.”

He added: “This sentencing shows the great work by officers to get drugs off the streets of Pontypridd, this work often takes patience and perseverance, but we will do what is necessary to ensure those who deal drugs are arrested and put before the courts.”