A lottery ticket helped catch a cocaine dealer who claimed the tens of thousands of pounds he earned came from selling Turkish cigarettes, a court has heard. Lee Gallagher claimed he traveled to Turkey and brought back quantities of tobacco which he sold before transferring the profits to someone in Birmingham, but telephone evidence revealed the true source of the money.
Swansea Crown Court heard that an investigation into Gallagher led police to one of his employees who ran a 'mobile shop' offering cannabis, ketamine, LSD and coke to customers. The two dealers and the West Midlands man who received the drugs money have all been jailed. The judge sent them down, describing dealing in Class A drugs as an 'evil' trade that is destroying communities.
The case is the latest example of drug dealing in the seaside town of Aberystwyth. Last month, a dozen members of an organized crime group that flooded Aberystwyth with hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of cocaine were jailed. The gang's operation involved car washes and barbershops used as 'front businesses', trusted officers 'embedded' in the city, and asylum seekers trafficked into Mid Wales to act as couriers and dealers.
Matt Murphy, prosecuting, told the court that police arrested Gallagher at his home in Aberystwyth in March 2021 following an investigation into large amounts of money moving into and out of his bank account. Officers seized his phone, two small snap-lock bags of cocaine and a scale with traces of white powder. The court heard that between April 2019 and October 2020, more than £44,000 in unexplained payments had been transferred to a bank account in Birmingham, while thousands of pounds had flowed the other way. The account in Birmingham turned out to be owned by a man named Omar Yafari.
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Gallagher told officers the money transfers were related to the buying and selling of cigarettes. The defendant told police that Yafari would send him money to travel to Turkey and buy cigarettes; he said he would then sell the tobacco in Aberystwyth before sending the profits back to Birmingham. Gallagher's phone was seized and he was released under investigation while the mobile phone was downloaded and examined.
The court heard that the examination of Gallagher's phone revealed that he was involved in the sale of cocaine and in particular his connection to a teenage dealer named Ethan Bablak-Land. Officers carried out arrest searches on the teenager and found him in the center of Aberystwyth on New Year's Eve. When searched he was found with bags of cocaine, scales and cash. The court heard that Gallagher's DNA was found on the outside of the coke deals.
Messages later found on the teen's phone showed communications between him and Gallagher about cocaine, including discussions about quality and price, and requests from Bablak-Land to have coke "in stock" for further sale. There was also a photo of a scale showing 7 grams of cocaine on the phone. The court heard the photo also included an Irish lottery ticket, which showed Gallagher had bought from Corbett bookmakers in Aberystwyth on December 22. The court heard other messages on Bablak-Land's phone showed he was also involved in supplying ketamine and cannabis and had offered to supply LSD.
Gallagher was arrested again and denied knowing Bablak-Land. He said he had lost his phone and suggested Bablak-Land must have sent the messages to himself to trap him. The court heard that CCTV footage subsequently recovered by police showed the two suspects together in Aberystwyth. When interviewed, Yafari said that Gallagher was a relative of his, initially claiming that Gallagher had gone to Turkey to have his teeth done. For the latest court reports, sign up for our crime newsletter here
Ethan Bablak-Land, now aged 20, of Cryfryn Row, Aberystwyth, had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, being concerned about the supply of cocaine, concerned about the supply of ketamine, concerned about the supply of cannabis, and offering to supply LSD when he returned to the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions.
Gallagher, 37, of Penmaesglas Road in Aberystwyth, had previously been convicted at a trial of conspiracy to supply cocaine and being concerned about the supply of cocaine when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 30 previous convictions for 43 offenses 'of various natures', including sexual offences, public disorder and assault cases. Omar Yafari, 36, of Camelot Way, Birmingham, had previously been convicted at a trial of acquiring criminal property - money - when he appeared in the dock with the other defendants. He has four previous convictions for five offences, including public disorder and criminal damage. During the trial, Gallaher and Yafari had perpetuated the Turkish cigarette story.
Ieuan Rees, for Bablak-Land, said the defendant was only 17 years old when he first became involved in trading, and said his client, like many people before him, started trading to fund his own habit. He said Bablak-Land has now "broken with old friends" and that the defendant's intention was to "pursue a profession and become a productive member of society" when released from custody. Lewis Perry, speaking for Gallagher, said the defendant maintained the position he took at trial that he was simply involved in the buying and selling of tobacco and was not involved in the supply of controlled drugs. He said the defendant's life had taken a "downward spiral" after his mother's death and he suffered from severe anxiety and depression. David Singh, speaking for Yafari, said there was no suggestion his client was aware of what the other defendants were doing in Aberystwyth.
Judge Geraint Walters said class A drugs were a "scourge" on Aberystwyth, saying information from police suggested they were mainly people who had moved to the town "in search of a better life" and who were the main consumers . He described the trade in Class A drugs as "evil" and said LSD was not a drug you hear much about these days, although "it seems to be fashionable in Aberystwyth". He said Bablak-Land operated "a kind of mobile store" for drugs, and said the jury rejected Gallagher and Yafari's "cigarette sales story."
With a one-quarter reduction for his guilty pleas, Bablak-Land was sentenced to two years in a juvenile facility. Gallagher and Yafari, who were convicted at trial and therefore received no reduced sentences due to guilty pleas, were sentenced to three years and two years in prison, respectively. The defendants will serve no more than half of their sentence in custody before being released to serve the remainder in the community.
Dyfed-Powys Police were unable to provide a photo of Yafari This interactive tool allows you to view the latest crime statistics for your area