A cocaine and ketamine dealer “has found religion” while being held in prison awaiting sentence, a court has heard. Swansea Crown Court heard Jason Carmichael was arrested for dealing a matter of months after being released from prison following a conviction for assaulting police officers. Sending the 36-year-old back to prison a judge noted he had previously been given suspended sentences for drug offences and said they seemed not to have acted as a deterrent to Carmichael returning to dealing.
Regal Walters, prosecuting, told the court that at just after 6am on December 5 last year police officers executed a search warrant at an address in the Gendros area of Swansea where they found the defendant and a female in an upstairs bedroom. A search of the address uncovered a total of 223g of cocaine, 6.8g of powerful horse tranquiliser ketamine, and 8.9g of cannabis along with £2,073 in cash and lists of names and amounts owed. The court heard the cocaine had an estimated wholesale value of around £7,000. Also at the property police found four motorbikes. Carmichael answered “no comment” to all questions asked in his subsequent interview.
Jason Carmichael, of Gethin Close, Gendros, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply, possession of ketamine with intent to supply, possession of cannabis with intent to supply, and possession of criminal property – the £2,073 cash – when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 20 previous convictions for 36 offences including the cultivation of cannabis in 2010 and possession of drugs with intent to supply from 2016 for which he was given a suspended sentence. His last conviction was in May 2024 when he was sentenced to 28 weeks in prison for assaulting emergency workers.
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Megan Williams, for Carmichael, said the defendant had been working to rebuild his relationship with his ex-partner and child after a period of incarceration and regrets making the “foolish decision” to involve himself in drug-dealing. She said they were her instructions that Carmichael “has found religion” while being held in prison on remand and pursuing his faith is something he wants to do. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter here.
Judge Paul Thomas KC said when police went to defendant’s home in Gendros they found cash, thousands of pounds worth of drugs, and associated drugs paraphernalia. He noted Carmichael had previously received suspended sentences for drugs offences but said they had not seemed to deter him from involving himself in such activity again. With a one-third discount for his guilty plea Carmichael was sentenced to 40 months in prison. He will serve up to half that sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
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