A DEALER who carried on drug trafficking after he was released by police under investigation was jailed for more than four years.

When Hassan Ali’s Newport home was raided in May, officers found bags of cocaine and cannabis and thousands of pounds worth of luxury goods.

The 23-year-old, from Bedford Road, Maindee, also had a CS gas cannister in his bedroom, Paul Hewitt, prosecuting, said.

Cardiff Crown Court heard how Ali was first arrested last November at a McDonald’s restaurant in Newport.

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“A vehicle being driven by this defendant was stopped on suspicion of it being involved in the supply of drugs,” Mr Hewitt said.

“After a search of the car, an officer found a 12g bag of cannabis hidden inside a false fire extinguisher.”

Ali was released under investigation by the police before they raided his house on May 8 and caught him continuing to deal drugs.

Mr Hewitt said: “They found a number of items. There were luxury goods, drug paraphernalia and they recovered from his bedroom cocaine, cannabis and a CS gas cannister.

“In a garden shed, there were bags of cannabis weighing 115g and 50g.

“The potential street value of all the cannabis was estimated to be £1,960 and the cocaine £2,800.”

The defendant also made a large number of cash payments into his bank account with more than £18,000 being deposited between January 2018 and November 2019.

Ali gave no comment interviews on both the occasions he was arrested.

He pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply, two counts of possession of cannabis with intent to supply and possession of a prohibited weapon.

The court heard he had six previous convictions for eight offences, including robbery and attempted robbery when he was a boy, but none for drug dealing.

Christopher Rees, mitigating, said his client was sorry for his offending and asked him to be given maximum credit for his early guilty pleas.

His barrister added that Ali had kept drug-free in prison and wanted to rehabilitate himself away from crime.

Judge Keith Thomas told the defendant: “You had the trappings of someone engaged in the supply of drugs for some time.

“Communities are beset by the problems caused by drugs. This was a substantial operation.”

He jailed Ali for a total of 49 months.

The defendant is due to face a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing on October 31.