Pontypridd Drug Dealers Caught with £2k Cocaine Stash

Police officers intercepted a drug deal in Treforest, leading to the arrest of two dealers found with substantial quantities of cocaine worth over £2,000. 🚔

Luke Cooper, 29, and Jade Ali, 35, were stopped in Ali’s Hyundai in Pontypridd on January 16 after officers witnessed what appeared to be a drug transaction.

A search revealed Cooper possessed 21g of cocaine worth £1,260, scales with white residue, and £180 in cash. A black bag contained cannabis and a further 140g of cocaine valued at £840. Officers also found £50 and a yellow iPhone belonging to Ali.

Subsequent searches of their homes uncovered additional cannabis worth nearly £100 and drug paraphernalia at Cooper’s residence, while Ali’s home contained zip lock bags and digital scales.

Phone analysis showed both defendants were involved in supplying cocaine and ketamine between July 2024 and January 2025, with Cooper implicated in cocaine supply on six separate occasions.

Cooper, of Heol Trane, Tonyrefail, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine, being concerned in the supply of cocaine and ketamine, and possession of cannabis.

Ali, of Gellifedi Rise, Brynna, Llanharan, admitted possession with intent to supply cocaine and being concerned in the supply of cocaine and ketamine. She claimed she sold drugs to fund her own habit and had “little awareness or understanding of the scale of the operation.”

At Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday, Judge Richard Kember told Cooper: “You said you accrued a debt as a result of your own drug use and were involved in that activity (drug dealing) to pay off your debt. You said you feared for your family and did this activity. You have a four-year-old daughter and a seven-year-old stepson.”

Cooper received a 39-month prison sentence, while Ali was given a 24-month suspended sentence with 120 hours of unpaid work, a five-month trail monitoring requirement, and a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement.