Two heroin and cocaine drug suppliers from Pembrokeshire have been jailed for supplying Category A drugs at Swansea Crown Court.

Describing Shane Lovell and Steven Cole, both from Milford Haven, as ‘a cog in a much larger wheel’, Judge Geraint Walters said their level of supply has had a detrimental effect on the lives of many.

“You know yourselves what addiction feels like and the misery, that particularly heroin, feels like,” said Judge Walters.

“The police rightly target Class A drugs users because of their criminality and also because of the detrimental effect they have on the people who live around them.”

Cole, of Plas Peregrine, Milford Haven, was stopped by police officers on December 6, following intelligence they had received that he may have been concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

His Seat Ibiza was pulled over near to Robeston Wathen in Pembrokeshire. In the back seat sat his sole passenger, Shane Lovell, of Cromwell Road, Milford Haven.

When officers searched Lovell, they found a wrap of heroin which had a 12 per cent purity, and a street value of £33. He was also in possession of a pipe containing a residue of diamorphine and cocaine.

Both men were arrested and taken to Haverfordwest police station where they were strip searched.

Lovell was found to have a brown substance wrapped in foil as well as three pieces of a hard white substance.

These were found to be 0.2g of heroin, with a street value of £26, and 0.86g of cocaine with a 57 per cent purity and a street value of £110.

Lovell also removed a foil wrap from his anus which contained 3.23g of heroin, valued at £384.

During a subsequent search of Cole’s home, officers discovered 0.3g of cannabis.

Text messages found on both their mobile phones showed they had been concerned in the supply of drugs.

Lovell had supplying heroin and cocaine between February and December 2022, while Cole had acted as ‘the middle man’, by agreeing to drive Lovell home after he had collected the drugs from another dealer in Swansea on December 6.

The court heard that both men were long-time addicts who were forced to supply as a means of funding their own personal habits.

“[Lovell's] motivations were to satisfy his own addiction and take it to a new level,” said his defence counsel Connor Evans.

“He was sourcing other items including syringes, citric acid and other equipment for his own use”.

Mr Evans went on to say that after being addicted to drugs from the age of 14, Lovell made a conscious effort to get clean in 2018.

“For four years he was able to deal with it through a combination of work and prescribed medication,” he said.

“But in early 2022 he had septicaemia and was hospitalised for six weeks and almost lost his leg.

“When he got home, his wife had become addicted so it was unavoidable that he would return to his addiction.

"He was unable to work, and the only way he could satisfy his addiction was by sourcing drugs and supply them.”

Cole became involved in supply for the same reason.

“He agreed to drive others to facilitate the supply of drugs and in return he was paid petrol money and given drugs for his own use,” said his counsel Hannah George.

“He was very much the middle man.”

Shane Lovell pleaded guilty to possessing heroin with intent to supply, possessing cocaine with intent to supply and two additional charges of supplying heroin and cocaine between February and December 2022.

Steven Cole pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine and possessing cannabis.

Lovell was sentenced to three years and six months in prison and Cole was sentenced to two years and three months.