Merthyr pair jailed for supplying cocaine

Advertisement

Matthew James, 39, from Merthyr Tydfil, has been sentenced to five years and 239 days in prison following his conviction for supplying cocaine. Leah Thomas 26, from Merthyr Tydfil has been sentenced to three years in prison following her conviction for supplying cocaine.

The sentencing took place on Friday January 16, 2026, at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court where James and Thomas both pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine

The case stems from a South Wales police investigation which started by officers monitoring two mobile phone numbers, which were sending out bulk messages advertising the sale of cocaine. Over 2,000 text messages were sent out from the two phones which belonged to James and Thomas.

On Tuesday July 8, 2025, officers from the organised crime unit spotted Thomas’s vehicle parked outside James’s address in Merthyr Tydfil. Officers watched momentarily as the pair exited the house, before proceeding to arrest them.

During a search, Thomas was found with a phone which was seized, another phone was later found in the Thomas’s car. Both phones had sim cards that were linked to the drugs line that they were running.  Officers found hundreds of messages on the phones linking both Thomas and James to the supply of cocaine between February and July 2025.

Sergeant Andrew Carver said“Matthew James and Leah Thomas are a pair who saw Class A drugs as a “get-rich-quick” scheme

“Drugs blight our communities, and they were playing their part in bringing that misery to the streets of Merthyr Tydfil.

“Tackling organised crime is a priority for South Wales Police and we will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of criminals to protect communities from harm.”