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Police found counterfeit tobacco in his car but it was nothing next to what they discovered at home
Police found counterfeit tobacco in his car but it was nothing next to what they discovered at home
Kieran Pritchard's car was stopped by police but it led officers to search his home as well
Kieran Pritchard
(Image: Dyfed-Powys Police )
The discovery of counterfeit tobacco in the back of a man's car led police to discover he was a cocaine dealer, a court has heard.
Officers found scores of packages of counterfeit tobacco in Kieran Pritchard's car which he said he was buying cheaply from abroad and selling on. An investigation showed he had also been dealing cocaine over the previous 18 months.
Swansea Crown Court heard Pritchard got involved in dealing to pay off debts incurred by his brother following his sibling's incarceration, and that "he believed he was doing the right thing".
David Singh, prosecuting, told the court that on December 29, 2023, police stopped Pritchard's Vauxhall Astra on the road between Llandysul and Pencader and found 73 packages of what was purported to be Golden Virginia and Amber Lead tobacco.
He said an examination of the tobacco found it to be counterfeit. Pritchard told the officers he was buying tobacco cheaply from overseas and selling it on at a profit, making £5 per pack.
The court heard that police subsequently carried out a search of the defendant's house and found a quantity of cocaine, empty bags, weighing scales, and £29,000 in cash. Pritchard's phones were seized and examined and they showed not only his dealing in tobacco but his involvement in cocaine supply over the previous 18 months.
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The prosecutor said that in his police interview the 33-year-old defendant told officers he had turned to dealing as he felt "obliged" to pay debts owed by his brother following his incarceration. The defendant also said he had bought the cocaine "from a lorry driver" to be sold on at a profit. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter
Keiran Pritchard, of Heol y Gaer, Llanybydder, Carmarthenshire, had previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply counterfeit tobacco, possession of cocaine with intent to supply, being concerned in the supply of cocaine, and possession of criminal property - namely cash - when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions.
Kate Williams, for Pritchard, said it was unlikely the defendant would have become involved in the offending had he not felt obliged to pay off his brother's debts, adding: "He believed he was doing the right thing". She said her client had a good work ethic and said a period of immediate incarceration would have a significant impact on his young daughter.
Recorder Christopher Felstead said he was sorry for the impact a custodial sentence would have on Pritchard's daughter but told the defendant that was something he had brought on himself when he chose to get involved in Class A drug dealing.
With a one-quarter discount for his guilty pleas Pritchard was sentenced to 40 months in prison. He will serve up to half that sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
A proceeds of crime investigation will now be launched into the defendant's finances.
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