Newport drug dealer ordered to pay back £11,910 in profits

A Newport cannabis dealer who gave Gwent Police officers the runaround during his arrest has been hit with a confiscation order forcing him to surrender nearly £12,000 in criminal profits.

Lewis Hill, 23, appeared at a proceeds of crime hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court – though he failed to show up for the proceedings, which went ahead without him.

Prosecutor Thomas Stanway told the court that Hill had made £16,314.40 from his cannabis dealing operation, with £11,910.83 available in assets. The cash is already in police custody.

Judge Daniel Williams ordered Hill to forfeit the full £11,910.83.

The confiscation hearing followed Hill’s 34-month jail sentence handed down in October 2025 for a series of drug offences that saw him evade police on two separate occasions.

Hill’s troubles began when Gwent Police pulled over his Ford Kuga in Newport after spotting him suspected of using his phone whilst driving. Officers immediately detected the smell of cannabis coming from inside the vehicle.

Prosecutor David Pinnell explained that whilst Hill passed a roadside drugs test, a search of the Kuga uncovered 10 wraps of cannabis. But as the officer conducted the search, a member of the public approached with alarming news – Hill had fled the scene.

Four days passed before police spotted the slippery dealer again in Newport. Once more, Hill made a dash for freedom, jumping into a car and speeding away from officers.

His freedom was short-lived. Police tracked him down sitting in a vehicle outside his partner’s home on Aberthaw Road and arrested him.

A search revealed £270 hidden in Hill’s sock, and officers seized his mobile phone. When police searched his St Julians Road address, they discovered cash alongside a bag containing 141 grams of cannabis.

Hill pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis, possession with intent to supply cannabis, possession of criminal property, and obstructing a police officer.

The court heard Hill had four previous convictions for nine offences and was already serving a suspended sentence for two separate cannabis supply offences when he committed these crimes.

His barrister, Sophie Keegan, told the court: “Mr Hill started selling cannabis to fund his own addiction. He accepts that escalated. He’s still 23. There’s a lack of maturity.”

She added that Hill had recently become a father for the second time and would be separated from his two young children for an extended period whilst serving his sentence.