Drug dealer caught with teenage 'modern slave'

KIAN GWYTHER WAS IDENTIFIED AFTER BEING CAUGHT ON CCTV "TOPPING UP" HIS DRUGS PHONE 02:00, 31 May 2025 A drug dealer was caught in a house with a teenage "modern slave",

a court has heard. Kian Gwyther was found with a stash of cocaine and a burner phone hidden in a pillow case when police raided the property. Police have described the case of the

23-year-old as "another sad example of a young man who thought that supplying illegal drugs to others would prove profitable for him" which ended with the defendant "losing

the next few years of his life to prison". Samuel Jenkins, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that in early 2025 police investigating drug supply in the Penlan area of Swansea

identified two phone numbers of interest. He said officers became aware that one of the phones was "topped up" with credits at the Esso garage on Llangyfelach Road in Treboeth on

February 16 and from that transaction were able to identify the defendant. On April 3 plain-clothes police carrying out arrest inquiries located Gwyther at an address on Heol Emrys in Penlan

- the defendant was found in the bedroom of the property while in a downstairs room was a 17-year-old male. Police recovered a jacket belonging to defendant which was found to contain four

snap-bags of cocaine, a Nokia phone, and £20 in cash. The court heard that officers also recovered another Nokia burner phone which was hidden in a pillow case along with SIM cards under a

mattress. A small amount of cannabis was also recovered. _For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter_ Article continues below The court heard that texts recovered from the

phones showed messages relating to the supply of "pure" - a common term for cocaine - and officers also found the device had been sending out bulk texts to up to 40 contacts at a

time. The prosecutor said the youth found in the property with the defendant was subsequently determined to be a victim of modern slavery and no further action was taken in his case. Read

about a man who set fire to his flat then sat down in the living room to watch television, drink cider and snort cocaine Kian Gwyther, of Heol Emrys, Penlan, Swansea, had previously pleaded

guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to supply, and the simple possession of cannabis when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has one

previous conviction for two offences of harassment. Andrew Evans, for Gwyther, said the defendant had been employed as a roofer until his misuse of cocaine and "in particular" of

nitrous oxide led to him being hospitalised for three months and to him being unable to work. He said Gwyther was "still in pain" as a result of the substances he had consumed but

realises "he is the author of his own misfortune", and he said that while being held on remand the defendant had reflected upon the decisions he has made. The advocate added that

Gwyther maintains he did not recruit the youth found in the property, and he said the finding of the teenager being a "modern slave" was perhaps surprising given the fact he had

been dealing drugs in his own right. Judge Geraint Walters said when police attended upon the Penlan property they found Gwyther along with drugs and "the paraphernalia drug

dealing", and he said it was clear the defendant's motivation for dealing had been financial. He said those who engage in supplying Class A drugs known they will receive a

custodial sentence of some length if caught. The judge told the defendant that pleading guilty at an early stage in the court process had been "the most sensible decision you have taken

for some while". With one-third discounts for his guilty pleas Gwyther was sentenced to 30 months in prison. The judge said defendants used to be released on licence after serving half

their sentences in custody but he said he was unable to tell Gwyther how long he would have to serve as that was a matter for politicians and the Home Office. Speaking after the sentencing

South Wales Police sergeant Luke Tucker said: "Kian Gwyther is yet another sad example of a young man who thought that supplying illegal drugs to others would prove profitable for him.

Article continues below "Instead, all it has done is result in him losing the next few years of his life to prison. We hope that upon his release, Kian chooses to stay away from illegal

drugs and makes a better life for himself."