A cocaine dealer was caught after his phone number appeared during four separate police investigations, a court has heard. After Brandon Diamond was identified and arrested, his business partner Clark Carroll began to "clean up" his phone to try to get rid of evidence - but it was too late.
Evidence from multiple phones
Sian Cutter, prosecuting, told the court that the evidence against Diamond and Carroll came from multiple phones which police in Swansea seized during drugs investigations. Drug-related texts and Facebook Messenger messages from Diamond were found in phones examined by police in the course of four separate investigations between January and June this year, with some of the messages including his bank details for customers to make payments.
The court heard that Diamond was subsequently identified as the person topping up the credits on the drugs line phone at a shop in Briton Ferry, and also heard that it became apparent from the messages being examined by police that Diamond was working with co-defendant Carroll in a joint drug-dealing operation in the Neath and Port Talbot areas.
Arrest and attempted cover-up
The prosecutor said on July 9 police officers on patrol in Port Talbot saw Diamond driving through the town and, knowing he was wanted on suspicion of drugs offence, stopped the vehicle and arrested him. He was found in possession of more than £400. The court heard that Carroll quickly became aware that his associate Diamond had been picked up by police and texted a contact to say he would need to "clean up" his phone, and would need to get to an un-named address to make sure there was "no money or stuff around". Carroll was subsequently located and arrested.
Brandon Diamond, aged 22, of Commercial Road, Taibach, Port Talbot, and 27-year-old Clark Carroll, of Dalton Road, Sandfields, Port Talbot, had previously pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine when they appeared in the dock for sentencing. Diamond had also previously pleaded guilty to possession of criminal property (cash), to driving while disqualified, and driving without insurance.
Sentencing and background
Diamond has nine previous convictions for 18 offences including being concerned in the supply of cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to supply from 2024. He was out of prison on licence for that offending when he was caught dealing again. Carroll has two previous convictions for two offences including being drunk and disorderly.
Hannah George, for Diamond, said the defendant was a father-of-two who realises that, by his own actions, he is now going to miss the birth of his third child while in prison. She said her client had reflected on the need to "better himself", and said to that end he would engage with educational and training courses while serving his sentence. David Singh, for Carroll, said the defendant had become involved in dealing a drug to which he was addicted, and he said his client is "devastated" at the impact his decisions have had on his mother and the rest of his family.
Judge Huw Rees told the defendants that their selfishness in running a Class A drug dealing business had led to great upset for many innocent people in their lives. With one-quarter discounts for their guilty pleas Diamond was sentenced to 50 months in prison and Carroll to 41 months. The defendants will serve up to half the sentences in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
