A drug dealer from Liverpool was found operating from the home of vulnerable Swansea couple in a type of exploitation known as "cuckooing".
Sam Oliver was caught after police from a specialist organised crime team saw suspicious activity near a primary school and executed a search warrant on a nearby house. Another Merseysider who was arrested at the same time as Oliver remains at large having gone on he run after being granted bail - police in Cheshire are currently hunting for him.
At the time Oliver was dealing cocaine and heroin in Swansea the 21-year-old roofer was on bail from a court in Manchester having been charged in connection with an attempted robbery. He is also wanted by police in Scotland in connection with offences of drug supply north of the border.
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Swansea Crown Court heard that, on January 10 this year, officers from South Wales Police's Swansea organised crime team were patrolling the Bonymaen and Winch Wen areas of the city when they saw suspicious activity involving a number of men and a car around Cwm Glas Primary School. Officers then followed one of the men as he walked to a property on nearby Carreg Cennen Gardens. Alycia Carpanini, prosecuting, said police were already in possession of a search warrant for the house and, having seen the male going inside, they decided to execute the warrant immediately.
The court heard that when officers entered the property they found two men from Liverpool inside - the man they had seen near the school, and the defendant Oliver who tried to flee through the back door but was caught. Officers recovered 20g of heroin and 57g of crack cocaine from the address, along with £699 in cash. The total street value of the drugs is estimated to be up to £6,000. The prosecutor said the occupiers of the property would later tell police that the two scousers had been in their home for a week despite frequent requests for them to leave. Police also found a phone which contained dealer's notes, and a series of incoming texts from an as-yet unidentified number giving addresses in Swansea.
So-called "cuckooing" in a technique used by out-of-town or county lines drug gangs whereby the properties of vulnerable people in their target towns are effectively invaded and taken over, and then used as operational bases in which to store drugs and from which to deal.
The court heard Oliver made admissions to officers about the drugs at the scene but in his subsequent interview answered "no comment" to all questions asked. When searched he was found to be carrying a small quantity of cannabis. The other man arrested at the Bonymaen house remains at large after being granted bail by magistrates and then going on the run. The court heard Cheshire Police are currently looking for him.
Sam Oliver, of Glangariff Street, Liverpool, had previously pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of heroin, being concerned in the supply of cocaine, and the simple possession of cannabis when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has three previous convictions for six offences including two for possession of Class B drugs. The court heard that while he was dealing in Swansea during December and January he was on bail to Manchester Crown Court in regards to an offence of attempted robbery - an offence he pleaded guilty to following his arrest in Wales. He is currently awaiting sentencing on this matter. He is also wanted in Scotland in connection with possession of drugs with intent to supply matters having failing to appear at Aberdeen Sheriffs Court on December 14, and the court heard arrangements have been made for him to appear before that court later this month.
Georgia Donohue, for Oliver, said it was accepted the court was dealing with a county lines drugs case, and the defendant realised that a custodial sentence was inevitable. She said by way of context Oliver had been working as a roofer in the Doncaster area but "found himself in circumstances where he owed money to others and felt like he was forced to make some very hard decisions which brought him to the Swansea area". The barrister said her client realises the mistake he made, and is remorseful for it.
Judge Christopher Vosper KC said it was accepted Oliver had been involved in a county lines drug dealing operation which had involved a "degree of cuckooing" at the Carreg Cennen Gardens property. He said officers had executed a search warrant having seen what they believed to be a drug transaction taking place in the area, and inside found two men - only one of whom was before the court - and drugs with a street value of up to £6,000.
The judge said the starting point for sentencing on the guidelines was one of four-and-a-half years in prison but he would increase that to five to take account of the aggravating factors of the cuckooing of a vulnerable couple's house and the fact the defendant had been on bail at the time of the offending. With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas Oliver was sentenced to three years and four months in prison comprising three years and four months for each of the two Class A drug dealing matters and one month for the simple possession of cannabis, all to run concurrently. The defendant will serve up to half that period in prison before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
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