A BLACKWOOD man who used a stolen motorhome worth more than £30,000 to use and sell M-Cat has been jailed.

Phillip Davies, 28, was a passenger in a car when it was stopped by police in the High Cross area of Newport on December 7 last year.

Police found 123g of mephedrone - also known as M-Cat - in the car's glove box, valued at between £1,200 and £2,400. A further 220g contained in two tubs of whey protein found in the car's boot had a street value of £4,400.

A set of keys to a Fiat Ducato was also found in the car, Cardiff Crown Court heard today.

Prosecutor John Lloyd said the Fiat Ducato belonged to a Caldicot couple, and had been stolen earlier in the year following a burglary.

Mr Lloyd said the motorhome was valued at £30,000 with an additional £2,500 worth of content inside.

It had been bought by David Norman, of Taff Road in Caldicot, and his wife, who had saved up for the motorhome in order to enjoy their retirement and to use it to go on holiday with their grandchildren, the court heard.

The defendant had part-exchanged a BMW in order to purchase the motorhome, Mr Lloyd said.

The court heard Davies had been using the Ducato for his own drug use and to supply it to others. Texts were found on his phone showing the defendant making arrangements to sell drugs.

The defendant had 14 previous offences including theft of a vehicle, aggravated vehicle taking, and conspiracy to defraud.

He pleaded guilty to possession of a class B drug with intent to supply and handling stolen goods at an earlier hearing.

Andrew Jones, defending, said in mitigation that Davies had partially used the motorhome to fund his own habit.

He said: "At 14 he took on effectively the responsibility of running a household. There was no father figure.

"Since 2009 he has been out of trouble. He lapsed into a very significant spiral of drug abuse. [But] the probation service have concluded that he is not a lost cause."

The honourable Mrs Justice Sue Carr DBE said the "high value of the camper van to this couple" was an aggravating factor, and that his offences passed the custody threshold.

Davies was sentenced to a total of 20 months' imprisonment, of which he will serve half in custody.