Car dealer caught with 4kg of cocaine ordered to pay £82,500

A car dealer from Port Talbot has been ordered to pay back £82,528 after being caught with more than four kilograms of cocaine in his self-storage unit.

Wales Online reports that earlier this year, John Joseph Kear, aged 56, was sentenced to seven years and two months in prison after a police raid at MyBox Storage in Baglan uncovered a significant stash of drugs.

Officers found a 249g block of compressed cocaine with an exceptionally high purity of 84%, as well as four separate packages containing just under one kilogram each of powdered cocaine.

The powder, with a standard purity of 10%, was ready for further distribution. Police also found a pair of black latex gloves and documents in Kear's name, linking him to the rental of the storage unit.

At the time of his sentencing, Kear's defence barrister told the court that his client had agreed to store the cocaine on behalf of others "in a moment of weakness and stupidity." The drugs were allegedly not his, but Kear accepted responsibility for his involvement in the operation.