A WOMAN who fell into the nefarious world of drug dealing under the coercion of her partner has been mandated to repay nearly £1,000. Daloni Jones, 27, residing at Bro Gwynfaen, Croes-lan, near Llandysul, admitted to charges of possession with intent to supply cocaine, alongside being implicated in the drug’s distribution. The sentencing, delivered in August, resulted in a 21-month prison term, suspended for 18 months, highlighting the gravity of her actions.

The case also involved Matthew Pritchard, 30, from Station Road, Pembroke Dock, who received a sterner sentence of three years and eight months imprisonment for identical offences. The duo’s criminal activities came to light following a police raid on their Llandysul residence on February 9 last year, where authorities confiscated upwards of 23.5 grams of cocaine. A subsequent operation on May 11 at a Penrhiw-llan property led to the seizure of an additional 11.84 grams of the substance.

Investigations into the couple’s mobile phones unveiled their involvement in cocaine supply from January 1 to May 12, with Jones’s defense acknowledging her guilt under the pretext of following Pritchard’s directives within an abusive relationship. Judge Paul Hobson, acknowledging this dynamic, noted Jones’s partial autonomy in the dealings, stating, “You acted under instruction from Mr Pritchard. However, that was not exclusively the case.”

The court, leveraging the Proceeds of Crime Act, sought to ascertain and confiscate the financial gains accrued from their illicit activities. Prosecutor Sian Cutter revealed that Jones had benefitted to the tune of £3,217.50, with an available sum of £957.50 identified for recovery. Judge Geraint Walters, presiding over the financial proceedings, sanctioned the repayment of this amount. Additionally, Jones faces a £187 surcharge, further compounding her financial penalties.

The proceedings against Pritchard for similar financial recuperations remain pending, with a follow-up hearing scheduled for February 15.