Moment holidaymaker arrived home to find police waiting for him at the airport
Pope was arrested just before 1am on Sunday, June 9 this year by South Wales Police officers who were waiting for him on the tarmac at Stansted Airport when his flight from Marrakesh arrived. Swansea Crown Court heard officers boarded the jet and escorted the defendant off the plane. Pope was arrested by police then driven back to Wales for questioning.
The airport arrest was the culmination of detailed phone forensics through which officers established the 32-year-old had been operating a drug dealing phone line called the "Oscar" line, the court heard.
The line had been sending bulk messages offering crack cocaine and heroin, reports WalesOnline. Officers had also been able to co-locate Pope's personal phone with the drug phone as he made on journeys across the UK.
The court heard officers thought they had dismantled the Oscar drugs line in 2024 following an investigation which led to a conviction but it became apparent the line was continuing to operate in the hands of another. It was said Pope operated the Oscar line between February and June this year.
Joshua Pope, of Bryn Parc, Morriston, had previously pleaded guilty being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and being concerned in the supply of heroin when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.
With a discount for his guilty pleas Pope was sentenced to for three years in prison. The defendant will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
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