A DRUG dealer was busted after he was caught with cocaine outside a Pembroke nightclub.

James Balkwill, 32, appeared at Swansea Crown Court after being convicted of possession with intent to supply cocaine.

He was found with 16 wraps of cocaine in his car outside a Pembroke nightclub on September 24, 2022.

Balkwill claimed that the drugs were for his own personal use.

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“This is a fairly standard incident of street dealing,” prosecutor Craig Jones said.

“The amount we are dealing with is small,” defence counsel Robin Rouch said in mitigation.

Mr Rouch added that there had been a significant delay in the case coming to court.

“It’s a long time to be hanging over him,” he said.

“In that time, he has moved on with his life.

“It’s clear he is at low risk of reoffending.

“The rehabilitation has taken place over the last two years.”

Balkwill, of Pembroke Road in Pembroke Dock, was also charged with possessing a Class C drug, relating to 441 tablets of methyltestosterone – an anabolic steroid which is used in the treatment of low testosterone levels in men, and possessing criminal property, relating to £1,510 in cash seized by police.

He pleaded guilty to the testosterone offence, and was handed no separate penalty. He denied possessing criminal property, and was found not guilty at trial.

“Two years ago you were found in a car outside a nightclub with 16 wraps of cocaine,” Judge Catherine Richards said, sentencing Balkwill.

“You were outside that nightclub with the intent of supplying some of it for profit.”

Judge Richards added that the delay in the case was “not acceptable”.

“This was an isolated incident. There has been no further offending,” she said.

Balkwill was sentenced to two years, suspended for two years. He must complete 250 hours of unpaid work and was made subject to a six-month curfew between 9pm and 5am.