A man started selling cannabis after racking up a drug debt of £15,000. Joshua James Atkinson used cannabis to deal with pain from a muscle wasting condition - but ended up owing a five-figure sum in process.
Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard that Atkinson, 26, was stopped by police on Heath Street, Cardiff, along with his associate Mark Holmes, 38, on April 23, 2021. Officers found drugs, £170 in cash and phones as well as a Stanley knife inside the vehicle.
Passenger Atkinson appeared to be deleting messages from a phone, while a second "burner" phone was also found by cops. A third phone - a Nokia owned by Holmes - contained messages indicative of drug supply. Five bags of white powder were also found, one which contained two grams of cocaine. Both men were arrested and had their homes searched.
