A MAN advertised cocaine for a drug dealer when he built up a sizeable debt after developing a £100-a-week habit.

Jake Cox, 28, from Pontypool began sending text bombs on behalf of a criminal who would then pay him just £10 for every customer he would attract.

The defendant became involved in the “murky business” after owing the drug dealer £1,000, Newport Crown Court was told.

This criminal “knew where he lived” and Cox began to work for them.

Cox, of Top Road, Garndiffaith, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine.

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The defendant has eight previous convictions for 16 offences but none that were related.

Laurence Jones, mitigating, said his client was remanded in custody following his arrest last month.

His barrister told the court: “He has kept himself to himself and has been packing tea bags.

“The defendant was living with his parents and he clearly didn't want them to be involved in this murky business.

“He didn't really want them to know the extent of his drug habit.

“That habit is some three years old and it amounted at its worst to about £100-a-week and he amassed, unfortunately, a drug debt of £1,000.

“He regrets the fact that he then decided to cooperate with his supplier.”

The judge, Recorder David Elias KC, told Cox: “Someone else’s phone was interrogated in relation to other criminal activity and your phone was linked to that and your phone was traced.

“As a result of that tracing it was discovered your phone had been involved in sending out text bombs advertising the sale of class A drugs.

“You were arrested by the police on October 9 and the court accepts that once they came to you, you cooperated fully with them.

“You accepted it was your phone straight away. You gave him the PIN for the phone so they could interrogate it further.”

Recorder Elias added: “You were interviewed by the police and again you fully cooperated with them.

“You told the police, firstly, that you had run up a considerable debt, but some of that was due to your cocaine habit and you needed to pay off that debt, the debt you owed to your supplier.

“Secondly, you agreed to do that by allowing your phone to be used to send out messages.

“Thirdly, you were going to be paid £10 that would come off your debt for every customer that was reached by your phone sending out those messages.”

Cox was jailed for 16 months but that sentence was suspended for 18 months.

He must carry out 150 hours of unpaid work, complete a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement and pay a £187 surcharge.