A CONVICTED dealer who was caught after twice selling heroin to undercover police officers in a pub cark park has been jailed.

Mason Quigley, 22, of Claremont, Newport, supplied the drugs after meeting the officers at the Parc-Y-Prior Inn in the Malpas area of the city, prosecutor Gareth James said.

The defendant was arrested in June along with other traffickers following a series of dawn raids as part of Gwent Police’s Operation Solar.

Mr James said Quigley sold the heroin to undercover officers codenamed ‘Jack’ and ‘Nat’ who were deployed to work covertly in Newport.

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The defendant pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying heroin in the city on January 28 and February 4.

Cardiff Crown Court heard how the two transactions involved £20 bags of the drugs with a purity of 25% and 21%.

The drugs in the first deal were mixed with caffeine and morphine.

The deals were secretly filmed by police and the stills from the recording used to identify Quigley who was recognised by local officers.

Mr James said the defendant had a previous conviction for drug trafficking.

On September 11, 2018, Quigley was handed a six-month custodial sentence, suspended for 18 months, for possession of cannabis with intent to supply.

Stuart John, mitigating, said: “The defendant has genuine remorse, has a supportive family and has the offer of employment.

“He has been held in custody since June 4 and given the restrictions because of lockdown he has not had any visitors.

“It has been a traumatic time for him and already had a punitive effect.”

Judge Richard Williams jailed Quigley for 27 months and ordered him to pay a victim surcharge upon his release from prison.