Two men involved in bringing cocaine and heroin to the streets of Cardiff have been jailed for a combined total of more than 10 years.
Jason Agyekum-Sah and Barfah Joof denied possession with intent to supply cocaine and heroin, but were found guilty following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court .
Judge Tom Hughes said the men had travelled from London to Cardiff with a “significant quantity” of the Class A drugs.
Agykeum-Sah, 22, from Peckford Place, Brixton, and Joof, 22, from Hilda Lockhart Walk, Lambeth, were arrested in Cardiff on February 10.
Street dealer Ryan Bivand, 19, from Frythe Way in Cranbrook, Kent, was found guilty of the same charges and will be sentenced in January.
'They were just pawns'
The court heard Agykeum-Sah was carrying 32g of drugs worth £3,000 when he was arrested.
His barrister Lisa McCormick argued he did not play a leading role as it was not a commercial-scale enterprise.
She said: “They were just pawns in this. This was simply a matter of Mr Agyekum-Sah being an opportunist – he was nothing more than an amateur.”
The court heard he was convicted of his first drugs offence aged 15 and became “trapped in a cycle”.
In a letter to the judge, he said: “I know I have let myself and my family down, but I am determined to make amends for my error.
'I've resolved to address my wrong-doing'
“I come from a poverty-driven estate in London. I have been exposed to drugs and criminal activities from a young age and I have hung around with the wrong crowd on many occasions, but I have resolved to address my wrong-doing.”
Both defence barristers emphasised their clients came from “difficult backgrounds” after growing up in areas affected by poverty and gang warfare.
Defending Joof, Joe Hingston said his client was taking drugs following a bereavement. When he was arrested, he tested positive for cocaine and opiates.
He added: “This is a young man with promise who is trying to do well despite the challenging environment he has grown up in.”
Sentencing via a video link from Caernarfon Crown Court , Judge Hughes said: “You were both the principal organisers of the enterprise on that particular day, albeit there were those above you in London. Both of you had an operational and management function in the chain.
“You were motivated by financial advantage. You engaged in organising the flow of drugs into the street.”
He added it was an aggravating feature that they had both previously been convicted of a similar offence.
Agyekum-Sah was sentenced to six years in prison and Joof to four and a half years.
They will serve half in prison.
see-http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/londoners-who-travelled-cardiff-thousands-10641927
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