EditorFormer council HGV driver used chapel opposite his home as cocaine pick-up point — jailed for three and a half years
A former council lorry driver has been jailed for three and a half years after running a cocaine dealing operation from his home in the Swansea Valley — using the chapel opposite his flat as a pick-up point for customers.
Sheridan Geen, 53, now of Howell Road, Neath, was convicted at trial of being concerned in the supply of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to supply, and possession of criminal property. He also admitted possession of morphine at Swansea Crown Court on April 21.
Dyfed-Powys Police executed a search warrant at Geen’s former home on Heol Twrch in Lower Cwmtwrch, near Ystradgynlais, on October 27, 2022. Officers found £1,560 in cash, weighing scales, a quantity of empty grip-seal bags inside a Gillette toiletries bag, and a small amount of morphine. Geen was also found attempting to conceal more than 40 wraps of cocaine — totalling 27.5 grams — on the bathroom window ledge.
An examination of Geen’s mobile phone revealed messages relating to the supply of cocaine. Prosecutor Regan Walters told the court that the chapel opposite his home had been used as a regular meeting point where customers would come to collect their orders.
Recorder Jonathan Rees KC said it was clear from the phone evidence that Geen had been running a commercial drug dealing business, using the chapel as a convenient location to meet customers.
During his police interview, Geen answered “no comment” to most questions. He denied any involvement in drug supply, claimed he had never heard of class A drugs, and said the cash found at his address had been given to him by his father, who had inherited it. When challenged about messages on his phone containing the words “bash” and “pure” — both well-known slang terms for cocaine — he insisted he had no idea what they referred to.
His barrister Christopher Evans told the court that Geen had worked as an HGV driver for his local council for 30 years before losing his job in 2020, following the breakdown of a relationship in 2017. “Things started to spiral out of control,” Mr Evans said, adding that Geen’s mental health had declined as a result.
The court heard Geen had turned to cocaine to self-medicate — claiming the stimulant paradoxically helped him sleep — and that a gambling problem had compounded his financial difficulties, pushing him deeper into debt and eventually into dealing to fund his habit. “He was dealing primarily to fund his own drug use rather than for profit,” his barrister said.
Mr Evans told the court that Geen had lost contact with his son during this period but had since reconnected with him, describing the relationship as a key motivating factor in his recovery. He said his client had now been drug-free for three years.
Although Geen denied dealing throughout his trial, his barrister said he now accepts full responsibility for his actions. Being arrested had served as a “wake-up call,” the court heard.
Geen has eight previous convictions for nine offences dating back to 1990, including drug possession, but none for dealing.
He was sentenced to three years and six months in prison and ordered to pay a £228 surcharge. He will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence. A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing into his finances has been scheduled for July 28.
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