Dealer caught with £35,000 worth of cannabis told police he 'found it by a stream'

A dealer caught with cannabis worth up to £35,000 said he found the drugs "by a stream". Police discovered seven bucketfuls of cannabis at Kevin Williams' home.

The 51-year-old, of Ffordd Ddyfrdwy, Mostyn, Holywell, said he had the cannabis for pain relief and also admitted supplying others. A judge at Mold Crown Court today said he could be rehabilitated and spared him jail.

Prosecutor Laura Knightly told the court police executed a search warrant at Williams' home on July 20, 2022 They found a large quantity of cannabis and cannabis buds in the kitchen and in an outbuilding in the back garden. You can sign up for all the latest court stories here

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Williams told police had had found the cannabis by a stream nine or 12 months earlier, the court heard. Six of the seven buckets contained herbal cannabis with a wholesale value of £2,100 to £4,100 and a street value of £17,555 to £35,110.

Another bucket contained cannabis waste. Police analysed Williams' mobile phone which contained messages suggesting he was supplying the drug to others between February and July, 2022.

Officers interviewed the defendant. He said he had found the cannabis but could offer no explanation for the messages. Michael Whitty, defending, said Williams used the cannabis to deal with pain for a medical condition and supplied just four people with it for "under the market value".

His offending started "by accident" and "got out of hand," said the barrister. His client regrets what he did.

He no longer takes cannabis, is on prescribed medication and poses a low risk of re-offending. He said "ironically" Williams is on a pain relieving drug which is legal as opposed to cannabis which is illegal, he added.

Williams looks after his bedbound mother and takes his three children to school from his rural home. The judge Her Honour Nicola Jones told Williams he had been caught with 3.5kgs of cannabis.

But he has a serious medical condition and had begun to rehabilitate himself. A delay in his case reaching this point had not been his fault.

She gave him a six-month jail term, suspended for 12 months, for possession with intent to supply cannabis, and the same sentence for being concerned in the supply of cannabis.

He must do 20 days of rehabilitation activity and pay a £187 surcharge.

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