Pembrokeshire drug dealer claims arrest “saved his life”

A drug dealer from Pembrokeshire who was caught with a stash of illegal substances has been jailed for 32 months after telling the court his arrest may have “saved his life.” 🚔

Luke Jones, 33, from Maes Morfa, Newport, Pembrokeshire, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court after pleading guilty to multiple drug offences involving cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine and ketamine.

The court heard that police stopped Jones’ car on the A476 near Haverfordwest on June 3 last year. Officers found 13g of cocaine worth up to £1,700 along with 41g of cannabis and 54g of cannabis resin.

A subsequent search of his home uncovered more drugs including 135g of amphetamine and a half-gram mix of ketamine and ecstasy, plus £337 cash, snap-bags, and digital weighing scales.

Jones’ phone contained messages dating back to December 2023 showing his involvement in dealing cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine and ketamine. Financial investigators discovered more than £12,000 in unexplained third-party transfers had gone into his bank account over the 12 months before his arrest.

Defence barrister Hannah George told the court: “The defendant’s view is that the day he was arrested has saved his life. After his arrest he has done everything he could to take proactive steps to turn his life around.”

The court heard Jones’ drug use resulted from “significant trauma” from childhood and the death of close family members.

Judge Paul Thomas KC said Jones had been running a “substantial drug supply business” but accepted the dealing stemmed from his own addiction. The judge added that the 32-month sentence was “substantially reduced” from what he had initially planned to impose, following the “powerful mitigation” presented by the defence.