A SERIAL Bristol drug dealer who moved into a woman’s home in Gwent to traffick heroin and cocaine in South Wales was jailed for seven years.

Police said Shaka Griffiths, 38, used a method known as "cuckooing" to set up shop in Chepstow last September.

Cuckooing is the term used where dealers commandeer the homes of people in exchange for drugs.

Janet McDonald, prosecuting, told Newport Crown Court how police raided the woman’s house in Bulwark.

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She said they found Griffiths there with other women and recovered more than £3,000 in cash from him and 54 wraps of heroin.

The drugs were of a purity of 39 per cent and had a potential street value of £1,000.

The prosecutor said: “They also found a Louis Vuitton bag worth £1,000 in his car along with a mobile phone advertising the substantial sale of cocaine.

“There were 'text bombs' sent out to 45 people.

“His flat in Bristol was searched. It was filled with expensive items worth £24,206.

“He told officers they had been given to him by friends and relatives as gifts.”

The house in Bulwark was a mess, the court heard, with discarded syringes strewn around.

The father-of-five, of Algars Drive, Iron Acton, near Bristol, admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine.

Ms McDonald said Griffiths had two previous trafficking convictions and was jailed for five years in 2006 for being concerned in the supply of cocaine.

Conall Bailie, mitigating, said: “This was not a sophisticated operation. It was not on a commercial scale and there was no substantial gain.”

The court heard how Griffiths was the victim of a shooting and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Judge Richard Williams told Griffiths: “You accept little or no responsibility for your own actions and you are not remorseful.”

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

Outside the court, Detective Constable Alistair Frame, Gwent Police’s officer in the case, said: “County lines drug dealing and associated criminality is a serious threat to communities nationally.

“Griffiths exploited vulnerable members of the community to facilitate his drug supply from Bristol to Chepstow.

“We are committed to protecting those at risk in our communities, bringing offenders to justice and making Gwent a hostile environment for those seeking to do harm.

“We urge anyone who spots signs of county lines related activities – such as cuckooing or trafficking – to report it to us via 101 or 999 in an emergency.

“Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.”