Police sergeant 'immensely proud' after officers bust Telford drug dealer
A police sergeant says he is "immensely proud" of his team who were able to bust a Telford drug dealer and bring them to justice, even though he avoided jail.
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Aston Williams, aged 23, was handed a suspended jail sentence for supplying class B drugs.
He was rumbled with £1,684 in cash and drugs worth £720 that were stashed in the glove box and under the seat of a car when he was stopped by police at a petrol station at Asda in Donnington on May 5, 2022.
West Mercia Police said officers could smell cannabis from within the car and conducted a search of the vehicle.
A large quantity of cash was also found in his jacket.
Police also raided Williams' home and discovered another £1,550 in cash, a mobile phone, two sim cards and a cannabis grinder.
He told police that he was not a drug dealer, but the phone was examined and it was found to have messages indicative of dealing.
Williams, of Little Croft, Oakengates, was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for 12 months, at Shrewsbury Crown Court on February 20.
Judge Peter Barrie handed Williams a £500 fine.
The judge also ordered him to do 60 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation activity days, as well as pay £250 in court costs, giving a total bill of £750.
Moreover, Williams will also have to forfeit the money that was seized during the search.
Police Sergeant Richard Jones, from St Georges and Priorslee Safer Neighbour Team, said: "I am immensely proud of my team for proactively finding this man, arresting him and being diligent by conducting a thorough and extensive investigation into the supply of drugs in local area.
"Not only has Williams been sentenced accordingly by the judge, I hope the outcome will show that drugs don’t pay, and we will remove them from our community."
