A UNIVERSITY graduate who was “a trusted member of an organised crime gang” was jailed after he was caught trafficking £14,000 worth of high purity cocaine.

Callum Collier, 22, of Hove Avenue, Newport, had hidden the drugs under his bed at his parents’ house, Rebecca Griffiths, prosecuting, told Cardiff Crown Court.

She said the defendant was a passenger in a Volkswagen Golf which was stopped in Newport.

Police found cannabis on him, two mobile phones and £265 in cash and a search of his home address was carried out.

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Officers found more than 100g of cocaine, with a purity of between 75 per cent and 82 per cent, hidden in his bedroom.

The potential street value of the drugs was estimated at being between £9,000 and £14,000.

Ms Griffiths said: “A Gwent Police drugs expert, DC Sean Meyrick, said the sheer quantity of cocaine would suggest the defendant was a trusted member of an organisation and that he was a medium range supplier feeding those at the lower end of the chain.”

Analysis of Collier’s mobile phones provided further evidence of his drug trafficking.

The defendant pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply and possession of cannabis.

The offences were committed on February 15, 2019.

Collier had no previous convictions.

The court heard the defendant had since graduated from the University of South Wales after he was caught 20 months ago and had a full-time job.

Scott Bowen, mitigating, said: “He has done everything he can since his arrest to turn his life around.

“The defendant has stopped using substances and he presents a low risk of reoffending.”

The judge, Recorder Paul Lewis QC, told him: “It is a tragedy Callum Collier that at 22 years of age, and with previous good character, you find yourself in the dock at Cardiff Crown Court.

“The message has to be that anyone who is involved in the dealing of class A drugs will go to prison if they are caught.”

Collier was jailed for 22 months and ordered to pay a victim surcharge upon his release from custody.