A former member of the Royal Air Force began dealing heroin in order to fund his own addiction to the drug. He was discovered after his messages were found on the phone of a man who had been arrested by police.
Jason Roberts, 37, of Bridgend, came to the attention of police after messages found on the phone of a detained man linked him with the supply of heroin. Between November 8, 2021, and December 14, 2021, the defendant had sent text bombs to contacts advertising the sale of "brown" – a slang term for heroin.
A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court heard police arrested Roberts on March 21 last year and searched him and his house but nothing was found. They were able to seize a Nokia phone which contained the incriminating messages. Also discovered were "tick lists" which showed money was owed to the defendant from drug users.
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Roberts, of Maes Gwair, Cefn Glas, gave a "no comment" police interview but later pleaded guilty to offering to supply a controlled drug of Class A. The court heard he had six previous convictions, none of which related to drugs.
In mitigation Ross McQuillan-Johnson said his client was a recreational user of cocaine but turned to heroin after being dismissed from the RAF. He was not able to afford the drug and got into debt, which led to him supplying the drug in order to pay off his debt and maintain his habit.
Sentencing, Recorder Bruce Gardener said: "You were offering to supply heroin to a significant number of others to make a significant amount of money.... You hoped to make a profit of £75,000 a year from street dealing."
Roberts was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment. He will serve half the sentence in custody before being released to serve the remainder on licence.
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