Cardiff teenager caught with more than £700 of drugs and 15-inch knife after electric bike escape

A teenager was found with more than £700 worth of drugs and a 15-inch knife after he used an electric bike to try to escape from a street warden.

Logan Winter, 18, was initially stopped in Cardiff city centre in October last year as part of an operation tackling the antisocial use of electric bikes, when he rode off without warning.

Swansea Nightingale Court heard street warden Paul Smith chased the defendant but was assaulted as he tried to grab his coat.

Having ditched the bike, Winter was detained by a police officer as he ran towards The Hayes.

The defendant was found to be carrying a large Rambo-style knife. A further search revealed he was carrying a bag containing 71 small wraps of crack cocaine with a street value of £710, as well as three mobile phones.

Messages to Winter's upstream supplier were found on one of the phones, along with a photograph of someone holding a large amount of cash.

After being arrested, Winter admitted the phones were his but denied the drugs belonged to him.

Winter, of Chapel Wood, Pentwyn, later pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine, possession of cocaine, assault by beating, and possession of a knife.

The court heard he had previous convictions for possession of an axe, possession of a knife, and attempted robbery.

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Defending Winter, Matthew Comer said his client had suffered a traumatic childhood, with both parents being users of Class A drugs, and had witnessed violence at home, adding that he lacked maturity.

Mr Comer said Winter was placed in care aged 13 and turned to dealing crack cocaine to fund his nitrous oxide addiction.

During sentencing, Recorder David Elias KC said: "You were making significant amounts of money from the sale of this drug. The court accepts you were dealing primarily to find your own addiction to nitrous oxide."

Winter will serve a total of 29 months detention in a young offenders' institute, of which he will serve half in detention before being released to serve the rest on licence.

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