A Swansea "house husband" has been caught combining his domestic duties with working for a London-based organised crime group.
Kye Lewis was found to be operating a mobile phone for a gang of cocaine dealers based in the capital.
Swansea Crown Court heard that Lewis came to the attention of police when detectives in London investigating the operation of an organised crime group, or OCG, recovered a number of mobile phones.
Stephen Rees, prosecuting, said the phones were linked to a so-called county lines drug dealing network known as the Avon line which had been operating in Swansea for a number of years. From data on the phone the Met Police identified Lewis, and passed the information to colleagues in South Wales Police. Read more about how notorious county lines drugs gangs operate in Wales here.
Check what crimes have been reported in your area:
On April 20 this year, police in Swansea executed a search warrant at the defendant's home. An iPhone was seized from the property, and Lewis told police the pin - when its contents were accessed and downloaded officers found messages relating to dealing. Lewis subsequently gave a "no comment" interview.
Kye Nathan Lewis, of Lon Claerwern, Morriston, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has previous convictions for offences including possession of cocaine, possession of cannabis, and handling stolen goods - namely a stolen police uniform.
Andrew Evans, for Lewis, said the defendant had recently become a father for the third time, and a letter to the court on his behalf spoke of him as a "house husband".
The advocate said: "The defendant allowed misuse of a substance which he felt was not an addiction to become an addiction, and that led him to becoming involved in its supply. He understands his behaviour will have a significant effect on those around him."
Judge Catherine Richards said Lewis was running a phone for a London gang operating in the Swansea drugs market, and he must have known the kind of sentence that awaited him if her were caught. She told him Class A drugs destroy lives and communities.
Giving the defendant a 25% discount for his guilty plea the judge sentenced him to 40 months in prison. Lewis will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
