Drug dealer filmed boasting about cash not laughing now as he gets £2,380 bill
Drug dealer filmed boasting about cash not laughing now as he gets £2,380 bill
Iestyn Raven applied for benefits and claimed he was 'struggling for money' despite making thousands of pounds from crime
A drug dealer who was caught boasting about cash he'd made while telling a call handler for a universal credit application he was "struggling for money" has been ordered to pay back more than £2,000. He was found to have benefited by more than £3,500 as a result of his offending.
Iestyn Raven, 24, was also found in possession of zombie knives which were found at his home and £1,000 worth of cocaine was discovered when police visited his girlfriend's house.
The defendant was identified by police who were investigating a drugs line called the Ronnie and Reggie line, named after the Kray twins, after CCTV footage was retrieved of him topping up credit on the mobile. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter.
Iestyn Raven
(Image: South Wales Police )
The phone had been used to send out "text bombs" to customers and was used to arrange deliveries.
A 17-year-old boy who used the line was arrested on July 2 last year.
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Messages were discovered between him and the defendant who was giving him instructions about dealing.
Raven was arrested in a car on September 30 and his girlfriend's address in Barry, where he lived, was the subject of a raid.
A search of the address resulted in the discovery of 30g of cocaine which had a value of £1,160. A phone connected to the drugs line and £2,110 was also seized.
The defendant's address in Plymouth Road was also searched and a number of zombie knives and items of designer clothing were seized.
On the phone a video was discovered of the defendant speaking on the phone to someone about his application for universal dredit.
During the conversation he held a wad of cash up to his ear, pretending it's a phone, and said: "I am struggling I am for money right now."
Raven later pleaded guilty to supplying a controlled drug of Class A and possession of criminal property.
He was sentenced to 40 months imprisonment at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court earlier this year.
A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Newport Crown Court heard Raven benefited to the tune of £3,570 as a result of his offending but he only has assets worth £2,380.
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Judge Daniel Williams ordered the defendant to pay that sum within three months or serve an additional two months imprisonment in default.
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The court heard he had nine previous convictions for offences including dishonesty, driving matters and possession with intent to supply cannabis. In mitigation for Langmead, Hashim Salmman said his client was the single mother of three children, the youngest of which had severe anxiety and was home schooled. The barrister said the defendant was seven-weeks pregnant, and the pregnancy was deemed high-risk. Heath Edwards, for Cozens, said his client benefited by "very little" from his offending behaviour, other than enhancing his status with those above him in the drug trade. He said the defendant had been engaging with mental health services and was tackling his drug addiction. In her sentencing remarks, the Recorder of Cardiff, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, said Langmead "knew from the outset what you were doing was illegal". The judge added: "This was a gross breach of trust by you Ms Langmead... There was no financial benefit but there was some kind of benefit to the two of you. You Ms Langmead had at least one gift, and you would have both been in good standing with offenders you were assisting. A number of offenders believed they would be assisted by you in their criminal activities and avoid detection... "Ms Langmead, you knew full well what you were doing, from idle curiosity and partly to elevate your status. You were showing off to other people, including other offenders, that you had access to confidential information... You have done serious harm to policing and the public interest." Langmead was sentenced to a total of two years and 11 months imprisonment. Cozens was sentenced to a total of one year and eight months imprisonment. Following the hearing, chief superintendent Bella Rees, head of professional standards at South Wales Police, said: 'Police officers and staff have access to personal and private information and it is both a public expectation and a legal requirement that information should be treated in the strictest confidence, properly protected and used for legitimate policing purposes only. "Accessing confidential police information without a legitimate policing purpose is an abuse of position and, as this case demonstrates, will be treated robustly.' John Griffiths of the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'Lucy Langmead had the complete trust of her employer in having access to sensitive information and she betrayed that trust. Her actions could have placed criminal investigations at risk. Article continues below 'Daniel Cozens used his relationship with Langmead to try to gain an advantage over the police in his criminal behaviour. However, the audit trail from the police computer systems led investigators to them, and together with other evidence allowed the Crown Prosecution Service to present a strong case to the Court and ensure these defendants were brought to justice.'
