Welsh drug dealer caught due to distinctive tattoo

An Ebbw Vale man, whose Snapchat posts featuring his unique scorpion tattoo, bundles of cash and amounts of cocaine helped to link officers to his criminal activity, has received more than two years’ imprisonment.

Tristan Wilson, 19, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine when he appeared for sentencing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday 22 January.

He admitted to obstructing an authorised person in exercise of a section 23 power to detain/search a person re drugs.

Wilson was also sentenced for an affray in Market Street, Ebbw Vale, in May 2023, after pleading guilty to the charge at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday 5 December.

Officers from Gwent Police’s Community Action Team (CAT) recovered the drug-related evidence after seizing and analysing Wilson’s mobile phone following an early-morning warrant in Heol Yr Ysgol last October.

Inspector Laura Paget said: “The evidence we uncovered from the defendant’s mobile phone showed clearly, from text messages and photographs, that he was involved in the sale and supply of cocaine.

“Wilson has a distinctive scorpion tattoo on his right-hand and he could not explain why he had photographs of himself holding large bundles of cash or images of cocaine.”

Inspector Paget continued: “The evidence of Wilson’s illegal activities was overwhelming; he had little option but to plead guilty to the charges he faced in court.

“Formed in June last year, CAT works alongside existing neighbourhood teams to proactively target crime trends affecting specific communities in Gwent.

“In our first six months, we’ve tackled drug offences, anti-social behaviour and vehicle crime in hotspot areas across Gwent and made more than 120 arrests.

“Neighbourhood policing is all about solving local problems and intelligence provided by residents and businesses can help us allocate the right resources to the very heart of our communities.”

Wilson received a sentence of 28 months’ imprisonment.

If you have any concerns about the sale and supply of illegal drugs in your area, you can contact Gwent Police via their website, call on 101 or send a direct message on their Facebook or X social media pages.  In an emergency, always dial 999.

Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111 with information or visit their website.