Swansea man jailed over £95k cannabis stash in shed

A 37-year-old man has been jailed for 32 months after police discovered a massive drugs stash at his Swansea home.

Officers raided Jason Lewis’s property in the Portmead area on November 18 last year following intelligence that it was being used for the “large-scale supply” of cannabis.

Swansea Crown Court heard the search uncovered 20kg of cannabis worth around £95,000 hidden in bags and boxes in a garden shed. Police also seized cannabis resin valued at £10,000, diazepam tablets, an extendable baton, and £18,000 in cash – including £1,520 in £20 notes concealed in a shelving unit.

Prosecutor Emily Bennett told the court officers executed the search warrant just before 7am after receiving intelligence about large-scale drug supply at the address.

Lewis, of Pentregethin Road, answered “no comment” to all questions in his police interview. He later pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis with intent to supply, possession of cannabis resin with intent to supply, possession of diazepam with intent to supply, possession of an offensive weapon in a private place, and possession of criminal property.

The court heard Lewis has six previous convictions for 11 offences, including two cannabis supply offences from 2012 for which he received a 12-week suspended sentence.

Sentencing Lewis, Judge Huw Rees said “whether he continues to involve himself with drugs was a matter only for him” but warned that “if the defendant does continue offending his sentences would only get longer and longer”.

Lewis will serve up to half his sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.