Drug dealer caught with text message saying 'I sell coke' is sentenced - for selling cocaine
Police confirmed a man's intention to sell 22g of cocaine discovered during a search when his mobile phone revealed a message saying 'I sell coke you d***head'.
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Matthew Peach, 26, of Newfield Drive, Shrewsbury, was sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court after admitting one charge of possession of cocaine with intent to supply.
Judge Anthony Lowe decided not to send Peach to jail, warning him he could have gone down for up to three years.
Explaining his reasons for not imposing an immediate custodial sentence, Judge Lowe said one factor was the overcrowded state of prisons.
He said: "The prisons are full, they are having to release people who probably deserve to be there more than you, but they are having to release them early - so perhaps by not sending you away I make sure people who are perhaps more dangerous remain in custody for longer."
Maria Brennan, prosecuting, told the court that the offence dated back to July 10, 2021.
She said that police had been on patrol in the Battlefield area of Shrewsbury at around 1.45am, when they saw Peach's Vauxhall Corsa in the car park of the Two Henrys pub.
He was searched and officers found 22.25g of cocaine in a bag.
The court was told the drugs were worth anything up to £2,500 if sold on the street.
