A former taxi driver who turned to drug dealing after losing his licence has been jailed for 32 months after being caught with 84 wraps of Class A drugs in Swansea. ⚖️
Allan Lapping, 47, of Jones Terrace, Mount Pleasant, was spotted by undercover officers as he pulled up in his Nissan Juke in the Waun Wen area on April 29. Police had been watching a group on Baptist Well Street – “an area known for the supply of Class A drugs” – when they saw the group approach Lapping’s car.
When officers searched him, they found heroin and cocaine deals in his hand, £1,147 cash in his shoulder bag, and more wraps in his car. At the police station, Lapping revealed he had additional drugs hidden in his boxer shorts – bringing the total to 84 wraps of heroin and cocaine. 💊
Swansea Crown Court heard that Lapping had worked as a taxi driver for many years before losing his licence, then found work at an Amazon warehouse which ended after Christmas. His barrister Sarah John said he found himself “building up debts and asking around the local community for any cash-in-hand work.”
She told the court: “Lapping now realises he made, in his own words, the ‘terrible mistake’ of turning to drug dealing to make money.”
The court heard that Lapping is now on the drug-free wing at Swansea Prison, works as a barista, and his “primary motivation in life” is building bridges with his two children and being a good role model for them.
Judge Geraint Walters said Lapping had been caught with “significant quantities” of Class A drugs, telling him: “Everyone who involves themselves in peddling Class A drugs know what kind of sentence awaits them if caught.”
The judge praised Lapping’s guilty plea as “the most sensible decision you have taken for a while” as it earned him a one-third discount on his sentence.
Lapping was sentenced to 32 months for possession of cocaine, crack, and heroin with intent to supply, to run concurrently. He will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence.
Judge Walters ordered the seized cash be forfeited to South Wales Police “to assist them in their battle against those who peddle misery in the streets.”
