A TEENAGE drug dealer with an “established customer base” was put out of business when he was rugby tackled by a plain clothes policeman.

Joshua Beech, 18, was caught after he was arrested following a dramatic chase in Newport.

Cardiff Crown Court heard officers spotted the teenager, who was just 17 at the time, dealing in the Ribble Walk area of Bettws last November.

Jeffrey Jones prosecuting said: “The defendant ran off and was rugby tackled around the torso and brought down to the grass.

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“Police found on him 18 sealed bags of cannabis which had been divided into 1g, £10 deals.”

They also recovered a grinder and an iPhone which contained drug-related messages.

Mr Jones said a Gwent Police drugs expert concluded that Beech had built up an “established customer base” in a relatively short time.

The defendant, of Dart Road, Bettws, Newport, pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

Gareth Williams, mitigating, said his client was a man of previous good character with no convictions recorded against him.

He added how the defendant wanted to pursue a career in construction or work as a kitchen fitter.

The court heard Beech became involved in trafficking cannabis after he had built up a drug debt.

The judge, Recorder IWL Jones, told the defendant: “Controlled drugs are a serious problem in our society.

“They destroy lives and families and they are responsible for putting you in the dock today.

“You have let yourself down and you have let you family down.”

Beech was sent to a young offender institution for eight months, suspended for 12 months.

He will have to complete 12 sessions of a rehabilitation activity requirement and carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.

The defendant must also pay a victim surcharge.

The judge ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs and the iPhone.