A Newport man who threatened to bite a police officer’s face off as he resisted arrest has been jailed for five years for dealing class A drugs.
Liam Cogdell, 24, was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court for two separate episodes of cocaine trafficking. The second was committed while he was already on bail over the first.
The October raid
Prosecutor Harry Baker told the court that officers went to a house on Bideford Road in Newport on Friday 2 October 2026.
Cogdell was about to get on a moped linked to drug dealing in the city when he spotted police and slammed the front door. As he was chased, he threw a rucksack over the back garden. It has never been recovered.
He became so violent that officers had to use a Taser and pepper spray. Mr Baker told the court: “He threatened to bite a police officer’s face off and had to be Tasered and pepper sprayed.”
A search of the house turned up 375g of cocaine in the kitchen, worth more than £30,000. Officers also found:
- 1.1kg of cannabis with a potential street value of £10,200
- £2,000 in cash
Deals at a Malpas petrol station
At the time of the raid, Cogdell was on bail. He had been arrested over supplying cocaine between 17 April and 11 November 2025, and police had connected him to a drugs line.
CCTV caught him carrying out deals at a petrol station in Malpas after he drove there in his partner’s car. Officers seized £5,075 from him following that arrest. Detectives later found that at least £20,000 in deposits had gone through his bank account.
Guilty pleas
Cogdell, of Cormorant Way, Duffryn, Newport, admitted:
- being concerned in the supply of cocaine
- possession with intent to supply cocaine
- possession with intent to supply cannabis
- possession of criminal property
- resisting a police officer in the execution of his duty
- possession of cannabis
The court heard he already had a similar conviction, for possession with intent to supply cannabis, dating from June 2024.
Defence arguments
Peter Donnison, for Cogdell, said:
“He takes full responsibility and has not tried to blame anyone else.
“The defendant was trapped in a cycle of drug addiction, debt and negative association with others.
“He was living a chaotic lifestyle.”
Sentencing
Passing sentence, Recorder Greg Bull KC told Cogdell:
“You were so violent last month that you had to be Tasered and pepper sprayed.
“I find that you are extremely streetwise.
“You made a substantial amount of money through your enterprises.
“There is little that can be said in mitigation apart from your age and immaturity.”
Cogdell was jailed for five years.
What happens next
A proceeds of crime hearing in his case is scheduled for 9 March 2027.
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