A man has been jailed for possession with intent to supply after drugs worth more than £12,000 and over £14,000 in cash were found at his home.

Meshach Marquis, aged 24, admitted possessing 97.4g of class A drug cocaine, along with 107g of herbal cannabis, and criminal property when he appeared at Swansea Crown Court.

DC Steven Jones, of Dyfed-Powys Police, said: “This was a long and detailed investigation, which involved a number of teams across the Ceredigion division.

“Thanks to the diligent work of officers, we secured strong evidence and a guilty plea from the suspect.

“This case goes to show that we proactively target and bring to justice those we suspect of dealing drugs.”

A warrant was executed at Marquis’s home in Heol Tynyfron, Penparcau, Aberystwyth, in August 2018 following information that offences were being carried out at the address.

Five officers gained entry and searched the property, finding 102g of herbal cannabis in a sports bag in the living room, which Marquis said was for personal use. A smaller amount was found in the bedroom.

The street value of the cannabis would be around £1,200.

Notes totalling £5,505 were discovered in a tin, as well as a suitcase containing £8,500. The defendant claimed this money was legitimately gained through cash jobs and selling items.

Four mobile phones were also found in the property.

DC Jones said: “Due to the quantity of cash and cannabis recovered, Marquis was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply.

“Following his interview, authorisation was granted to search the address further, with a key to a Citroen located under the seat of a motorbike in the back garden.

“The car was seized, and a large quantity of white powder sealed in plastic bags was found.”

The bags were found to contain cocaine with a potential street value of £10,850.

Four plastic wraps were swabbed for DNA evidence. The resulting analysis indicated it was a billion times more likely that the DNA recovered related to Marquis than an unknown person.

Mobile phones seized during searches were analysed, with content suggesting Marquis had been supplying controlled drugs.

DC Jones said: “We were able to secure charges of possession with intent to supply based on the strength of evidence we gathered, and summonsed Marquis to appear at court.”

Marquis was sentenced to 45 months in prison on Tuesday, April 7.

In addition to the money found at the address, vehicles and property worth in excess of £20,000 were also seized as proceeds of crime.