Brothers' criminal operation busted in police raid

Cocaine-dealing brothers were caught after police seized a phone and examined its contents, a court has heard.

Messages on the device led to the Port Talbot house shared by former binman Darren Lewis and his younger brother Dre, and an examination of their phones revealed details of the workings of the class A supply operation. Both siblings have now been locked up.

Emily Bennett, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that on January 22 police executed a search warrant at the Port Talbot home of Darren Lewis following information gleaned from examining a drug dealer's phone.

Darren Lewis answered the door and a search of his bedroom turned up bags of white powder which turned out to be 3.5g of cocaine, a small amount of cash, a phone, and a set of weighing scales.

The 30-year-old defendant was arrested and told officers he "sorts his mates out" and keeps what is left, and said it wasn't really dealing.

The court heard police found both incoming and outgoing drug messages on Darren Lewis' phone including ones related to "bulk purchases" of cocaine.

The prosecutor said 21-year-old Dre Lewis was asleep in another bedroom and he was woken and his phone was seized and examined. He too was arrested. 

In his interview Darren Lewis gave officers a prepared statement in which he said he was a user of cocaine and cannabis and said the cocaine in his room was for his own personal use.

In his interview Dre Lewis told officers he knew his brother was dealing cocaine and allowed his sibling to use his phone. He also admitted on occasions counting money for his older brother, buying empty snap-grip bags for him, and chasing debts on his behalf.

Darren Lewis and Dre Lewis, both of Henshaw Street, Port Talbot, had both previously pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine when they appeared together via videolink from HMP Swansea for sentencing. Darren Lewis had also previously pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply.

Darren Lewis has three previous convictions for four offences including the simple possession of cannabis from 2015. Dre Lewis has no previous convictions.

Alycia Carpanini, for Darren Lewis, said the former council refuse collector had been under "great pressure" for the last two years looking after his younger brother, giving him money, and buying him clothes and food, and had turned to dealing.

She said her client was a heavy user of cocaine and cannabis but had told her he wants to "get back to what it was like before it all went wrong".

Andrew Evans, for Dre Lewis, said the reality was his client had been "drifting into adulthood" without a job or real purpose but realises he needs to "change his ways if he is to become a productive member of society".

The advocate said the Lewis brothers had a "symbiotic relationship" and said that his client had assisted in his brother's dealing operation in a limited way.

With one-third discounts of their guilty pleas Judge Catherine Richards sentenced Darren Lewis to 32 months in prison and Dre Lewis to 20 months in prison.

The defendants will serve 40% of their sentences in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.