Drug Dealer Found with Meat Clever & £13k of Drugs in Pocket

A heroin dealer has been found in South Wales, sprawled over the wheel of his car – carrying £13,000 worth of drugs and a meat clever. 

Martin Coffey was already under investigation after being previously found with a collection of drugs and money. He was then released back into the community. 

Coffey has also previously been incarcerated, serving two lengthy prison sentences for class A drug dealing. A judge has since said that the police’s earlier decision to release Martin Coffey under investigation, to continue dealing was ‘as unbelievable as it was wrong’ 

This was heard on May 31, at Swansea Crown Court, last year. Police went looking for Coffey in the Penlan area of the city to arrest him for recall to prison for previous offending.

Dyfed Thomas, prosecuting, said officers found him at a property in Penmynydd Road; upon searching his vehicle they found a beanie hat containing £1,300 cash, a quantity of heroin, amphetamine, and buprenorphine – hidden inside a box stored in the boot. 

Coffey was questioned, answering no comment to all questions, and released under investigation.

Coffey came to the police’s attention once again in October, when several people reported an unresponsive man in a Ford Mondeo. Thomas said 46-year-old Coffey was “slumped over the wheel” of the car and “rambling” and officers and paramedics tried to rouse him. 131g of heroin was found in the car – value at £13k – inside his jacket pocket. The boot contained a meat clever, additional amphetamines and weighing scales. 

Andrew Evans, for Coffey, said the defendant had struggled with a Class A addiction for most of his life with his first conviction for drugs dating back to 1993.

The advocate said it was “unfortunate” police had not taken “more stringent action” after arresting Coffey in May, continuing that if he had been taken into custody on that occasion the further offending in Clase may have been avoided in the future. Coffey was jailed for eight years and four months.

(Images: South Wales Police)

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Written by

George Day

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