33-year-old Andrew Hanley, of Pantycelyn Road Townhill, was the intended recipient of a parcel which contained a police-style extendable baton that was intercepted by Border Force in November 2024.
When officers attended to search Hanley’s address, they located four large sandwich bags containing a substantial amount of white powder. Hanley then directed officers to several other substances which were stored around the address.
Judge Huw Rees told the defendant that at the age of 33 he would be wasting his life if he carried on with his involvement with drugs and weapons.
With one-third discounts for his guilty pleas, Hanley was sentenced to 42 months in prison comprising 12 months for the importation offence, 42 months for the cocaine offence, and 14 days for the possession of cannabis all to run concurrently.
The defendant will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
Sergeant Geraint Thomas said:
“For Andrew Hanley to have had such high quantities of drugs within his home, there can be no doubt that his intention was to supply these drugs to others in the community.
“Like every other drug dealer before him, Andrew Hanley was motivated purely by financial gain, and did not care for the negative impact these drugs would have on those who purchased them.
“He is rightly starting a term in prison for his actions.”
[Lead image: South Wales Police]
