A drug dealer who benefited by more than £160,000 from illicit trade has been ordered to pay back just £1,784. Louis Moates, 28, was found in possession of hundreds of pounds worth of cannabis after being raided twice by police, and messages on his phone revealed he was concerned in the supply of Class A drugs. He was also found with hundreds of tablets of diazepam and codeine.
Raids and seizures
Moates was first visited by officers who executed a search warrant at his home on August 25, 2023. He was detained and provided police with the pin code for his phone before a search was carried out. A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court in January heard green vegetable matter, suspected of being cannabis, was seized along with weighing scales and a grinder. Plastic bags containing pills and a quantity of cash were also seized.
The cannabis found was weighed at 122g and had a street value between £660 and £960. On June 20, 2024, Moates' home was raided a second time but only his partner was present at the time. She let officers in and another search led to the seizure of cannabis, zip lock bags, cash, and scales as well as various amounts of tablets.
Arrest and evidence
The defendant was arrested at his workplace and taken into custody. A total of 148.3g of cannabis, with a street value between £790 and £1,530, plus 143 codeine tablets and 141 tablets of diazepam were seized. Two mobile phones were also examined and several messages revealed Moates was involved in supplying crack cocaine and cocaine. He was also found in possession of a tick list and messages to drug runners who were working for him.
Messages on a Telegram account from the defendant showed communications with an upstream supplier who sent him drugs in the post to his father and partner's addresses. Moates, of Hollybush, Whitchurch, Cardiff, later pleaded guilty to counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs, possession with intent to supply Class B drugs, and possession of Class C drugs.
Sentencing and confiscation
The defendant was sentenced to a total of 187 weeks imprisonment. A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday, October 22, heard Moates benefited to the tune of £166,184 but only has available assets worth £1,734. Judge Vanessa Francis ordered the defendant to pay £1,784 within 12 weeks or serve an additional one month imprisonment in default.
