Swansea, UK – Keiran Pugh, 22, was handed a suspended sentence for drug-driving on December 18, 2024, but within hours, he was caught with drugs in his possession, breaching the sentence. A court heard that Pugh, who had already been convicted of drug-related offenses, was arrested with cocaine in his trousers and additional drugs discovered during a police search.
The events unfolded when police officers in Neath noticed a car behaving suspiciously. The occupants were attempting to hide their faces and move around in a way that suggested they were concealing items. After stopping the car, officers found Pugh sitting in the front passenger seat with his father driving. The strong smell of cannabis prompted the police to search the vehicle, where they discovered two snap-bags of cocaine, £350 in cash, and a mobile phone.
At Neath police station, Pugh admitted to possessing more drugs in his trousers. Officers retrieved an additional four snap-bags of cocaine. Further investigation led to a search of Pugh’s bedroom, where police found £3,150 in cash, a small bag of cannabis, and a significant stash of 116 grams of cocaine, including a large amount hidden in a freezer bag.
Pugh had previously pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply, along with other drug-related charges. He had been sentenced on December 18 to eight weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, for a previous drug-driving conviction. This recent arrest for dealing drugs marked a rapid violation of his suspended sentence.
The judge emphasized the seriousness of dealing Class A drugs and told Pugh, “You thought that was a risk worth taking. You may be thinking differently now.”
Pugh’s defense lawyer, Tom Scapens, noted that Pugh had been a diligent student and industrious worker before his life unraveled following a voyeurism conviction in early 2024, which led him to turn to selling drugs to make money. Despite his criminal actions, the lawyer indicated that Pugh had made efforts to reform, completing courses while in prison and finding work.
The judge decided that Pugh’s actions warranted a prison sentence, marking his breach of the suspended sentence as a significant factor in the decision.
