A "WELL-RESPECTED" chef was caught dealing cocaine after the police stopped his car in the early hours of the morning.

Charlie Edmunds, 21, of Taff Road, Caldicot, was found with 18 wraps of the class A drug worth more than £500 by officers in Chepstow.

The defendant, Newport Crown Court heard, was former chef at a hotel in Chepstow.

Matthew Cobbe, prosecuting, said Edmunds was pulled over on June 8, 2019, driving a red Fiat Bravo by police who carried out a vehicle check.

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He told the court: “The officers could smell cannabis inside and the defendant admitted he had smoked a joint that night.”

After searching his car, police found the 18 wraps of cocaine, worth between £360 to £540, under the steering wheel.

Mr Cobbe added: “In interview he accepted he dealt cocaine. He said he was an addict who dealt the drug in order to fund his own addiction.”

Edmunds pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply and possession of cannabis.

He has one previous conviction for drug-driving relating to these same offences.

Karl Williams, mitigating, said: “The defendant is a very well-respected chef who has been offered two jobs at five-star hotels in Weymouth and Southampton.

“The job in Weymouth pays £27,000 per annum.”

“The defendant is a very good chef. He does love his job although it is very strenuous.”

Mr Williams added: “He pleaded guilty and co-operated at the scene. The defendant was supplying to end users who were already addicted.

“He was under pressure from his own dealers to clear his own debt.

“The defendant has sought help from the Gwent Drug & Alcohol Service and been abstinent for well over a year apart from a relapse in April when his long-standing girlfriend separated from him.”

Judge Daniel Williams said he was prepared to suspend Edmunds’ prison sentence because the offences were now 17 months old and the defendant had made progress towards conquering his drug addiction.

He was jailed for two years, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

Edmunds must also pay a £140 victim surcharge.