Text trail led to drug supplier (From Western Telegraph)

Text trail led to drug supplier

12:50pm Sunday 20th January 2013 in News

A Saundersfoot man who supplied cocaine and cannabis to “a dealer of some notoriety” has been jailed for four years.

Laurence Richard Rogers, aged 25, had been due to stand trial at Swansea Crown Court charged with supplying Gareth James Mann with 255g of cocaine.

But as soon as the trial began he changed his plea to guilty.

James Jenkins, prosecuting, said that on May 26th last year police came across a car parked at the side of the A40 on the outskirts of Haverfordwest.

As they approached, Mann got out of the front passenger seat and ran away, but was quickly caught.

Officers also recovered a bag he had been seen to throw away and inside was a ball of cocaine and a small quantity of cannabis resin.

Mann, described by Mr Jenkins as a drug dealer of some notoriety, later pleaded guilty to possessing the cocaine with intent to supply and was jailed for four years.

Police then began to track Mann’s movements to discover where he had obtained the drugs.

By tracing calls made to and from his mobile telephone, and studying the location of the masts that had relayed them, they were led to Saundersfoot and to an area known as the Incline.

They discovered that someone had “talked in”

Mann by giving him details of how to reach the location of the meeting point and soon identified Rogers as the sender of text messages.

After his arrest Rogers refused to answer any questions.

But he told officers, “If you are going to send me to jail don’t send me to the one Gareth Mann is in.”

Rogers, of Bonsville Close, admitted supplying Mann with the cocaine and 26 grams of cannabis resin, and to possessing a further 11 grams with intent to supply.

Mr Jenkins said there was evidence that Rogers had supplied others with cocaine but in much smaller quantities.

His barrister, Chris James, said he had been frightened of Mann and had not dealt in such a large amount of cocaine before.