A man from Beddau has been jailed for 32 months for supplying cocaine.

Lee Scarfe, 34, of Clos Meddlyn was arrested on December 16 after officers suspected him of dealing drugs in Pontypridd.

Earlier that day, officers spotted Scarfe in a blue Audi carrying out what they suspected to be a drug deal with the driver of a white BMW.

They managed to stop and search the driver of the BMW and found messages on his phone offering drugs.

Officers ran a check on number plate of the Audi and identified Lee Scarfe as the registered owner.

Within an hour, they spotted the car parked outside Kwik Fit in Broadway, Pontypridd so they checked at the The Tumble Inn, a nearby public house.

They spotted the man they believed to be Lee Scarfe and called the mobile phone number which they had linked earlier to the sale of drugs – sure enough Scarfe answered and he was arrested on the spot.

A search of two properties and Lee Scarfe’s car resulted in the seizure of cocaine worth over £10,000, thousands of pounds in cash and expensive watches.

Lee Scarfe pleaded guilty to the supply of class A drugs and was jailed for 32 months at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on earlier this month.

Detective Sergeant Lia Jones, of the Organised Crime Unit said: “It was a great spot by the patrolling officer and his quick thinking led us to Lee Scarfe within an hour of seeing him in the Graig area. To say he was shocked when he answered the phone in the pub is an understatement.

“We soon found evidence of him dealing thousands of pounds worth of cocaine. We have seized his cash and some expensive watches, including a Rolex, together with his Audi which we suspect were all funded by drug dealing. Rest assured work is ongoing to take them from him under the Proceeds of Crime Act.”