Cocaine dealer kept drug haul hidden in a child's car seat

A COCAINE dealer kept his stash of deals hidden in a child’s car seat, a court has heard.

- JASON EVANS Court and crime reporter

When Andrew Howse was pulled over by police he initially “threw his partner under the bus” by telling police the car was hers and he knew nothing about the drugs.

Swansea Crown Court heard that two weeks before being caught with the drugs, Howse had been handed a suspended prison sentence for a fire-arms offence.

Alycia Carpanini, prosecuting, told the court that on April 23 this year police received intelligence that a VW Tiguan vehicle was involved in drug supply.

She said the VW was located heading westwards on the Loughor bridge and officers intercepted and stopped it.

The court heard police searched the car and found 13 snap bags of cocaine worth up to £650 hidden under padding on a child seat. When the defendant was searched he was found to have £1,130 in cash in his wallet. An examination of Howse's phones found messages relating to the supply of drugs.