A THUG who took over the running of a drugs line after its previous owner was jailed has been sent to prison for six years.

Alfie Phillips was on bail for leading a nasty group attack on a man in Newport when he was arrested on heroin and cocaine trafficking charges.

The 22-year-old defendant’s home in the city was raided last October where police found the drugs line phone.

Prosecutor Ieuan Rees said: “It contained a significant amount of drugs offering for sale heroin and cocaine.”

He added that Phillips had been a “street dealer” in business between July and September 2021.

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Newport Crown Court heard how the assault on Joshua Watkins in May 2019 saw him “repeatedly punched, kicked and stamped on”.

Judge Richard Williams told Phillips, of Ringwood Place, Newport: “There were up to nine of you in the group that you were part of although not all of them took part in the attack and he had bruising, facial injuries and his nose was broken as a result.

“Your culpability is high because you led the group activity.”

He added: “Your house was searched on October 11, 2021.

“Data from a mobile phone found during that search betrayed your role as a drug dealer dealing both cocaine and heroin.

“You had taken over operation of a drugs line following the arrest of a person previously operating it.

“The drugs offences appear to have been committed whilst you were on bail.”

Phillips pleaded guilty to offering to supply both heroin and cocaine and he was also convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The defendant had six previous convictions for 17 offences, including drugs and violence matters.

In 2017 Phillips was made the subject of a 24-month detention and training order by the youth court for supplying heroin.

Heath Edwards, representing the defendant, asked for his client’s guilty pleas and young age to be taken into consideration.

He also added how it had taken the prosecuting authorities two years to charge him over the assault.

Phillips is due to face a proceeds of crime hearing later this year.