A YOUNG dealer is back behind bars for trafficking drugs not long after being released from custody on licence.

Kane Watkins, 21, was caught with cocaine and heroin worth more than £7,000 just before Christmas, Newport Crown Court was told.

The defendant, who was sent to a young offender institution for three years in 2020 for drug dealing, was also carrying £2,000 in cash.

A judge pleaded with him not to deal again after telling him he was wasting his youth away in prison.

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If Watkins is caught for a third time, he was warned, he faces a minimum term of seven years in jail.

Prosecutor William Bebb said the defendant was arrested by police in Caerphilly on December 16 last year.

Watkins was a back seat passenger in a car that had been pulled over after it was suspected drugs were being dealt from the vehicle.

“This is a case where the defendant was dealing drugs at a street level with an understanding of the operation,” Mr Bebb said.

“He was selling directly to users.”

Watkins, pleaded guilty to possession of heroin with intent to supply and possession of cocaine with intent to supply.

He also admitted possession of criminal property.

Joshua Scouller, representing the defendant, asked the court to give Watkins full credit for his early guilty pleas.

“He has had made full admissions,” his barrister said.

“The defendant had turned to drug dealing as an easy source of cash.”

Watkins had lost his job, living with his mother and struggling to make ends meet.

Judge Richard Williams told Watkins: “Please don’t do this again.

“You are wasting your youth in prison when you could probably be doing something much more constructive with it.

“If you do this again, it’s a minimum of seven years but arguably much longer.”

Judge Williams jailed the defendant for three years and four months and told him he would serve half of that time in custody before being released on licence.

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