Two drug dealers were caught in a car in Cardiff city centre with cocaine, MDMA and cannabis worth around £2,000.
Diandre Henry was seen driving the blue Renault Megane when drug users approached the car, while Tamba Momodu was caught with 16 bags of white powder up his trouser leg.
Cardiff Crown Court heard their phones were seized by the police and found to contain messages like: “Can you sort me out bro?”
David Pugh, prosecuting, said plain-clothes officers from the organised crime squad saw people they thought were drug users at around 4pm on August 12 and followed them along Railway Terrace.
The court heard they walked down a lane, with one appearing to act as a lookout and the other approaching the Megane, driven by Henry.
An officer took the details of the car and circulated them on the police radio, then it was spotted on Cathedral Road about an hour later, before being stopped on Colum Road in Cathays .
Prosecutors said Henry was still driving, with Momodu in the back and a woman, who was arrested and released without charge.
The court heard officers seized cocaine with an estimated street value between £820 and £2,000 – the purity was not known – along with £410 of cannabis, plus MDMA.
All three were searched at Cardiff Bay Police Station, where Momodu was found to have drugs hidden in his trouser leg, including 16 bags of cocaine and MDMA. He also had £90 in cash.
Two phones were seized from the front seat and found to contain messages like: “Got bud there?” And: “Can you deliver now?”
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Momodu had keys to a flat, which was searched and officers found a further 11g of cocaine, 5.4g of MDMA and 6g of cannabis, along with weighing scales.
When they were interviewed, Henry denied the offences, then they both answered “no comment” to all the questions put to them.
Prosecutors said Henry had two previous offences on his record. He was fined in July 2017 for possessing MDMA and cannabis. He was cautioned in 2016 for possessing cannabis and a blade.
Henry, 19, from Bridle Walk in Telford, admitted possessing cocaine, MDMA and cannabis with intent to supply.
Debra White, for Henry, said: “It is really a very sad situation. This young man had promise. He is a bright and capable young man.”
Henry told probation he became involved in dealing drugs to pay off his own debts, then carried on once the debts were cleared.
In a letter to the judge, Henry said his life “fell into a dark place” when he started using drugs, but he is now drug-free in custody and motivated to stay that way.
Ms White said he would find his time in custody difficult, as he has been diagnosed with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
She added: “He wants to apologise to the court and his family for his mistakes."
The court heard Momodu was also fined for possession offences and had a conviction for wounding in November 2017 for throwing a broken mug in a prisoner’s face in a young offender institution.
Momodu, 19, from Summercroft in Telford, admitted the same counts as his co-defendant.
Kevin Jones, for Momodu, said he also started dealing to repay debts, then saw an opportunity to sell to friends to fund his own habit.
The court heard he was 16 when he was remanded in youth detention, charged with a “very serious” offence. Mr Jones said his client had a “horrific” time in custody, then was found not guilty.
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Mr Jones said the defendant moved to Telford and his family split up. He was diagnosed with anxiety and depression.
He added: “He needs to see a future because he has had a difficult past.”
Judge Nicola Jones sent them both to a young offender institution for 33 months and ordered them to pay a £181 victim surcharge. An order was made for the drugs to be destroyed.
