A dealer purchased 100,000 pills believing they were Class C drugs, but 98,000 were discovered to be paracetamol.
Robert Thomas, 41, of Aberystwyth’s Corporation Street, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison after being found guilty of five counts of drug dealing.
Dyfed-Powys Police said he had been dealing “on a large scale” after his sentencing at Swansea Crown Court.
In July 2020, he was arrested after being observed using drugs in Aberystwyth.
Officers searched his residence and discovered 101,000 blue and white tablets.
They would have a street value of between £101,000 and £202,000 if sold individually, or £40,000 if sold wholesale, as diazepam, also known as valium, is a Class C drug.
‘Large scale dealing’
At interview, Thomas claimed he had bought a number of tubs for £12,000 each on the internet, and did not intend to sell them, but got more than he had ordered.
However, forensic testing of the tablets revealed that 3,211 of them were Flualprazolam which fall within the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016, while the other 97,814 were paracetamol that had been dyed blue.
Officers discovered traces of cocaine on scales in his home.
Officers discovered evidence of drug dealing on Thomas’ phone, including offers to sell cocaine, MDMA, amphetamines, cannabis, and diazepam.
“Following the good work of our officers who responded to the initial call through to the thorough investigation that followed, we were able to show Thomas was an active dealer who was selling drugs on a large scale in Ceredigion,” said DS Steven Jones.
He was found guilty after a trial and sentenced on Friday 20 January at Swansea Crown Court.
Thomas was sentenced to five and a half years in prison for offering to supply cocaine and MDMA, 12 months in prison for amphetamine and cannabis, and six months in prison for diazepam.
source:https://ghanaianexpress.com
