A cocaine dealer caught after his girlfriend boasted of their lavish lifestyle on social media has been ordered to pay back nearly £24,000 – despite illegally making more than £100,000.
Mark Price, 28, of Coed Y Wennol, Glenfields, Caerphilly, was jailed for a total of seven years in April this year after admitting charges of possessing cocaine with intent to supply, being concerned in the supply of cocaine, and fraud.
Girlfriend Emily Lock, 22, of Cae Du Mawr, Energlyn, posted pictures on Instagram of Vivienne Westwood handbags, Gucci sunglasses, Christian Louboutin shoes and Christian Dior perfume – a lifestyle at odds with her day job as a checkout worker in Lidl. When police raided her home they found £50,000 worth of jewellery and designer clothing.
The couple also boasted of holidays Amsterdam, Paris, Spain, Miami, and Dubai in a single year and also had a trip to Thailand booked when they were arrested.
After admitting acquiring criminal property, Lock, who gained three A’s at A-Level and studied law and criminology at university, was sentenced to 15 months in prison.
A Proceeds of Crime hearing at Newport Crown Court was told how Price had made £100,081.86 from dealing cocaine and was ordered to pay back £23,697 of recoverable assets. Goods taken from Price will now be auctioned off and he has three months to with the order – or face an additional two years in jail.
During the original criminal hearing in April this year, Merthyr Crown Court heard how a raid on Price’s home in September 2017 turned up 110g of cocaine at 83% purity and £50,000 of goods were found at Lock’s home. When interviewed by the police, Lock at first claimed she did not know her boyfriend was a drug dealer.
Price boasted in a message found on a seized mobile that he made £1,600 a week from the dealing. That message was sent to his “subordinate” and fellow drug gang member Kyle Crowley.
Crowley, 28, was jailed for five years after he admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine, producing cannabis and supplying cannabis.
Further examination of Price’s phone also led police to 31-year-old Christopher Morgan, of Green Hill Close, Penybryn, near Ystrad Mynach. At a raid on his home in January this year, police found 30 cannabis plants in his attic. He admitted producing and supplying cannabis and was jailed for 20 months.
