"I'm bang to rights... How long do drug dealers get in prison these days?"

These were the words of drug dealer Ashley Lewis after officers searched his home in Ely and found cocaine worth thousands of pounds.

The 35 year-old man form Cardiff was arrested when officers executed a drugs warrant at his home address in Plymouth Close on July 9 (2024).

They found cocaine worth as much as £6,000 stashed in various places in the ground floor flat, cash, digital scales and an axe.

A phone containing evidence of drug dealing was found hidden in a children’s toy basket.

Lewis was charged with possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply and being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and went on to plead guilty.

While being taken into police custody, Lewis appeared resigned to his fate, conceding to officers that he was ‘Bang to rights’, asking: “How long do drug dealers get in prison these days?”

And he got his answer to his question nearly three months later, when on Tuesday, October 1, he was jailed for 28 months at Cardiff Crown Court.

Lewis was one of 25 people arrested throughout July (2024) by the Cardiff and Vale Organised Crime Team. During the crackdown, a quarter of a kilogram of cocaine and £17,000 in cash was seized. A Total of 21 drugs lines were also put out of business.