Police found him with £15,000 of crack cocaine but getting caught only cost him £300

A drug dealer who claimed police raids and drugs were "common" during his childhood has been ordered to pay back £300 despite making more than £3,000. He was found in possession of £15,000 worth of crack cocaine and cocaine when police raided his home.

Dylan Davies, 24, was visited by police at his home in Merthyr Tydfil on June 26 and a search of the property was carried out. A green bag containing white rocks were found along with a carrier bag containing further rocks and scales with the residue of white powder.

A sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court last year heard £300 in cash was also seized as well as two further scales. 

Prosecutor Mari Watkins said the defendant claimed the drugs were for his own personal use.

But when asked to provide the PIN number for his phone, he refused.

The green bag was found to contain 7g of crack cocaine, worth between £200 and £300.

The carrier bag was found to contain 168g of cocaine, worth between £7,800 and £13,000.

A further bag contained 58g of crack cocaine, worth between £1,200 and £3,000.

Davies, of Swansea Road, later pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

The court heard he has seven previous convictions for offences including possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and assaulting emergency workers, for which he was sentenced to 31 months imprisonment.

In mitigation, Hywel Davies said his client has a four-year-old daughter who he is missing out on spending time with, and hopes to find work on the railways as an engineer foreman upon his release from prison.

The barrister said the defendant was raised in a home where "police raids and drugs were common" and he had a "poor beginning to his life".

Sentencing, Judge Simon Mills said: "Ultimately this was a choice you made, you knew there would be consequences for that."

Davies was sentenced to a total of 44 months imprisonment.

A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard Davies benefited to the tune of £3,097 as a result of his offending, but only has assets worth £300.

Judge Paul Hobson ordered the defendant to pay that sum or serve an additional seven days imprisonment in default.