A “PROLIFIC drug” dealer started trafficking cocaine when he became addicted to crack following the tragic death of his father, his barrister said.

When Corey Whitney, 28, was caught by police in Tredegar this March he had more than £3,500 in cash.

Officers also seized mobile phones which implicated him in the supply of the class A drug.

Detectives started to investigate Whitney when they seized a phone from another drug dealer which heavily incriminated him.

Nicholas Gedge, prosecuting, told Cardiff Crown Court: “The defendant was a street dealer.

“There were requests on phones for drugs to be supplied on credit.

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“One message asked, ‘Delivery?’

“There was a reply, ‘What are you after?’

The customer answered, ‘Stone or flake. It’s got to be fire though.’

“That is a reference to crack cocaine and cocaine and high quality drugs.”

Mr Gedge added: “When the defendant was being interviewed by the police after his arrest, he told them, ‘I’m a crackhead, I just want to go home.’

“He said he had started smoking crack daily since his father died two years ago.”

Whitney, of no fixed abode, Tredegar admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine, possession of criminal property and possession of cocaine.

He had a previous drug-related conviction for attempting to deal cocaine in 2016.

Jeffrey Jones, mitigating, asked the court to take into his client’s guilty pleas.

His barrister added: “He was entrenched in class A addiction for around two and a half years stemming from the tragedy of losing his father.”

“The defendant was only dealing in the drug he was addicted to.”

Whitney became homeless as a result of his drug habit and also lost his part-time job as a garage worker.

Judge Paul Hobson told him: “There were messages indicating that you were a well-established dealer in drugs to a network of associates.

“I deal with you on the basis that this was supply going on for approximately eight months from last July.

“During that time you were plainly a prolific at dealer in cocaine and you were supplying deals of varying sizes to your customers, typically of 1.75 grammes.

“You plainly had a considerable customer base and there is also discussion at one point with your upstream dealer about the prospect of you selling a quarter of an ounce per day, although it is not clear whether you were successful in doing that.

“I have no doubt you were doing this for money. That is demonstrated by the sum of cash recovered from you upon your arrest.

“You also had tick lists which make reference to debts owed to you of several hundreds of pounds.”

Whitney was jailed for four years and is due to face a proceeds of crime hearing.