Cocaine-dealing female decorator who ran painting business called ‘JK Rolling’ from pink-wheeled van avoids jail after she was caught supplying drugs with her boyfriend
- A crown court judge called the drug dealing operation ‘unsophisticated’
A cocaine-dealing female decorator who ran a painting business called ‘JK Rolling’ has avoided jail.
Kelly Smith ran her business from a pink-wheeled Peugeot van emblazoned with the pun inspired by Harry Potter author JK Rowling.
But the decorator also led a secret double life as a drug dealer supplying cocaine with her boyfriend Joshua Jeremiah.
A court heard the pair were involved in the ‘joint enterprise’ when cash was transferred into Smith’s account following drug deals. The alarm was raised when police investigated fellow dealers before carrying out a raid on Smith’s home in Cwmbran, South Wales.
Kelly Smith ran her business from a pink-wheeled Peugeot van emblazoned with the pun inspired by Harry Potter author JK Rowling. But the decorator also led a secret double life as a drug dealer supplying cocaine with her boyfriend Joshua Jeremiah
Pictured, the van she ran her painting business from
Smith had an illegal side job as a cocaine dealer before she was caught
Prosecutor Nik Strobl said: ‘Both defendants were involved in the supply of cocaine. Notable items seized during the raid were digital scales containing traces of cocaine upon them and a small bag of cannabis was found in the living room cupboard.
‘Mr Jeremiah would ask for customers to transfer money into the account of Miss Smith after deals having been carried out.’
Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard the couple were arrested following the raid in January.
Smith, 29, and Jeremiah, 33, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine. Smith had no previous convictions and Jeremiah had convictions for harassment, public disorder and criminal damage.
Ms Smith’s lawyers claimed that she was ‘subservient’ to the drug dealing operation
Defending Karl Williams, for Smith, said: ‘The money was paid into her account and she was subservient. In her pre-sentence report, the defendant has shown a great deal of remorse and realises the impact drugs have on users and the community.
‘She and her co-defendant had been in a relationship for eight years and it was full of ups and downs.’
Mr Williams added she had ’embarrassed her family’ and had already spent more than three months in custody.
Judge Recorder Neil Owen-Casey said: ‘This was a joint enterprise between you and it is abundantly clear that you had some awareness and understanding of the scale of the operation.
‘But it was a fairly unsophisticated one and relied pretty much on simple text messages.’
The pair were both handed a 24 month sentence suspended for 24 months. They must carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and a six-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
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