A police raid on a house disrupted a 'corner shop' for drugs, a court has heard. Leon James and Rainee Blake were involved in selling cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy, and cannabis from the house they shared in Llanelli, with Blake acting as an 'understudy' to James in the operation.
Swansea Crown Court heard it is the second time James has been caught dealing Class A drugs, and a judge warned him that if he returns to the trade for a third time the starting point for sentence will be seven years.
Abul Hussain, prosecuting, told the court that on April 15 this year police executed a warrant at the defendants' home in Llanelli. He said a search of the property uncovered a dozen wraps of 77 per cent pure cocaine inside a 'magnetic metal box', a quantity of cannabis, £885 in James' wallet, and a number of mobile phones. When the mobiles were examined, officers found messages relating to the supply of drugs both between James and Blake and being exchanged with external contacts, including price lists for a range of Class A and Class B drugs.
Leon James, aged 25, of Corporation Avenue, Llanelli, had previously pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine with intent to supply, being concerned in the supply of cocaine, possession of cannabis with intent to supply, being concerned in the supply of cannabis, and possession of criminal property (cash) when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 12 previous convictions for 21 offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and the simple possession of cocaine and cannabis. In April 2022 he was sentenced to three years detention in a young offenders institution for being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis, and possession of cocaine and cannabis with intent to supply. That offending saw James and fellow dealer Levi White-John booking a room in a Swansea city centre hotel to deal on the streets, only to be caught almost straight away by plain clothes police officers. When arrested in the SA1 docklands development, James asked an officer: 'How did you get us so quick? We were only in Swansea two days.'
Rainee Blake, aged 24, also of Corporation Avenue, Llanelli, had previously pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine, being concerned in the supply of cannabis, being concerned in the supply of ketamine, and being concerned in the supply of ecstasy when she appeared alongside her co-defendant. She has no previous convictions.
Hannah George, for James, said her client had left school at the age of 12 and had 'struggled with drug misuse throughout his life'. She said her client had been using his time on remand positively and had secured work in the prison laundry, and that James was still a relatively young man with 'emerging maturity' who will 'hopefully put this behind him'.
Stuart John, for Blake, said it was clear from their conversations over the last three weeks that while his client had known what she was doing was against the law, she had not fully appreciated the seriousness of it and the impact it would have on her and her family. He said the defendant had now stopped taking drugs, was motivated to make the necessary changes in her life by wanting to care for her six-year-old daughter, and 'wants to make amends' for what she has done. The advocate invited the court to pass a sentence which was not one of immediate custody.
Judge Geraint Walters said the defendants had effectively been caught red-handed 'running some sort of corner shop' for drugs. He said it was clear from everything he had read that Blake had been an 'understudy' to James.
With a one-third discount for his guilty plea, James was sentenced to 40 months in prison. He will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The judge warned James that if he were caught dealing Class A drugs for a third time, the starting point for sentence is seven years.
Judge Walters said sentencing Blake was a more difficult proposition. He said he could count on the fingers of one hand the number of people involved in Class A dealing who he had not sent straight to prison, but said the law required him not to send someone into custody if there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation. With discounts for her guilty pleas, Blake was sentenced to two years in prison suspended for two years, and was ordered to do a rehabilitation course, complete 180 hours of unpaid work, and abide by a 90-day alcohol abstinence requirement.
