Paulo Dias (Image: South Wales Police)
Last Updated: 3 minutes ago
A man from London has been jailed after he and two others travelled to south Wales to carry out what was described as a “removal job” at a cannabis farm concealed within a vape shop.
Paulo Dias, 26, of The Alders, Aldrington Road, Streatham, was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison at Swansea Crown Court after admitting being concerned in the supply of cannabis.
Co-defendant Bobby Batchelor, 25, of Magnolia Place, Lambeth, was spared jail for the same offence. He was handed a nine-month prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work in the community, as well as complete a rehabilitation course.
A third individual, a youth who cannot be named due to his age, has already been dealt with at youth court.
The operation
The court heard that Dias entered his guilty plea on the basis that he was a cannabis user living in London who had been told by a friend about “removal work” in Gowerton, and that his involvement amounted to helping load cannabis plants into a van.
On September 4, 2024, residents in Gowerton contacted police after observing suspicious activity at a vape shop, where individuals were seen transferring items into a vehicle. By the time officers arrived the van had already left – but alert witnesses had taken down a partial registration number.
A subsequent search of the shop premises revealed evidence it had been used to cultivate cannabis, though no plants remained.
The pursuit
Prosecutor Mari Watkins told the court that approximately 90 minutes later, the van was identified near junction 30 of the eastbound M4. Officers tailed the vehicle as it left the motorway at junction 28 and sped along the A48 Southern Distributor Road before being abandoned at Tredegar Park.
Dias, Batchelor, and the youth all fled on foot. Batchelor and the youth were apprehended quickly, while Dias was found a short time later “jogging across a car park sweating profusely and covered in mud”.
The haul
Inside the van, officers discovered 150 cannabis plants valued at up to £90,000 alongside keys to the Gowerton vape shop. An examination of Batchelor’s mobile phone uncovered messages indicative of involvement in drug supply.
Sentencing
The court heard that Dias has four previous convictions for 10 offences, including simple possession of cannabis. Batchelor has six previous convictions for 12 offences, among them dangerous driving and possession of heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply.
Recorder Greg Bull KC said it was clear that Batchelor had been involved in “street dealing cannabis” while Dias was a “removal man”.
Dias received a 10 per cent reduction in his sentence for a guilty plea entered on the first day of trial. Batchelor was given a one-third discount for his earlier plea.
