POLICE officers found a drug dealer had 27 grams of cocaine and more than £3,000 in cash stashed in a hat tucked in to his waistband.

Tom Sibbald appeared at Swansea Crown Court after admitting possession with intent to supply cocaine and cannabis, and possession of criminal property – relating to £3,060 in cash.

He had been due to be sentenced alongside his co-defendants Maximus Goldsworthy and Jazzmin Francis, but his part of the sentencing was adjourned for the preparation of a new pre-sentence report.

Goldsworthy, 22, of West Street in Fishguard, was jailed for four and a half years last month for a series of drug offences, while Francis, 21, of Augustine Way in Haverfordwest, received an eleven month sentence, suspended for a year.

Swansea Crown Court heard that on April 1 last year, Dyfed-Powys Police were called to an address in Haverfordwest following reports of a man shooting a handgun at bins.

All three defendants were there and were searched, with Goldsworthy being in possession of a BB gun.

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Prosecutor Jim Davis said 14 wraps of cocaine – totalling 27.12 grams – was found concealed inside a hat tucked in to Sibbald’s waistband.

The officers also found £3,060 in cash hidden on him, along with a piece of paper listing names and amounts.

The note showed a “quite substantial amount of cash changed hands,” Mr Davis said.

Sibbald’s address was searched, and officers found 41.2 grams of cannabis in his bedroom.

The court heard that Sibbald, 22, of Anchor Down in Solva, was previously of clean character.

John Hipkin KC, in mitigation, said Sibbald had made “extensive efforts” to seek help from the Dyfed Drug and Alcohol Service (DDAS) and to distance himself from his previous associates.

He added that Sibbald had suffered “a number of life traumas” since the period just before his offending, and had been addicted to the drugs.

A reference from Sibbald’s headteacher highlighted his “immaturity” and that he “had fallen in with the wrong crowd”.

Sibbald was sentenced to two years, suspended for two years, for the cocaine charge. As part of this, he must complete 200 hours of unpaid work, 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days, and a curfew for four months between 7pm and 7am.

He received a six-month sentence for the cannabis charge, and three months for the possessing criminal property charge – both suspended for two years.

A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing will be held in December.