Newport Man Jailed After £3.5k Drugs Found in Trousers

A Newport man has been jailed after police discovered drugs with a street value of nearly £3,500 hidden in his trousers during a vehicle stop in Cwmbran last month. 🚔

Tyrell Samuels, 24, was a front seat passenger in a car pulled over by police on Ty Gwyn Way, Cwmbran at around 1am on Sunday, February 16.

Prosecutor Pamela Kaiga told Newport Crown Court: “When an officer shook the defendant’s trousers, a package fell down through his trouser leg. This package was a tub containing 20 small wraps of crack cocaine.”

She added: “When in custody, the defendant also kicked out and a further small package fell from his trouser leg that was 26.7g of cocaine.”

Police also recovered a small amount of cannabis for personal use from Samuels.

The court heard the cocaine had a potential street value of £2,670 while the crack cocaine could have been sold for up to £790.

Samuels, of no fixed abode, Bettws, admitted two counts of possession with intent to supply a class A drug and one count of possession of cannabis.

The defendant has three previous convictions for four offences, including a previous conviction for possession with intent to supply cannabis from August 2019.

Defence barrister Sol Hartley said: “This is the first time that Mr Samuels has been in prison as these offences are, by some distance, the most serious he has committed.”

Mr Hartley revealed that his client, a father-of-two, had been dealing to fund his own drug addiction and told of how he had spent some of his childhood in care.

“He is remorseful for his offending as has been evidenced by his guilty pleas which were entered at the first opportunity at the magistrates’ court,” Mr Hartley added.

Judge Matthew Porter-Bryant sentenced Samuels to 34 months in prison and ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs seized. The defendant must also pay a £228 surcharge following his release. 💰