A DAD-of-three was caught with about £10,000 worth of cocaine in a locked safe in his home just months after being released from jail for drug offences, a court heard.

There was also evidence that Jamie Griffey, of Lampern View, Uley, had recently been in possession of as much as another £50,000 worth of the drug, Gloucester Crown Court was told last Wednesday, February 14.

Father-of-three Griffey, 30, pleaded guilty to possessing of cocaine with intent to supply and possession of £240 worth of cannabis. 

He jailed for 34 months having previously been jailed for four years.

The judge, Recorder Richard Mawhinney, said he was passing a shorter term than would normally be imposed because of prison overcrowding.

Prosecutor Lucy Taylor told the court that on November 23 last year police searched Griffey's home and found a locked safe which contained three-and-a -half ounces of a compressed white powder and a separate small amount of similar powder weighing 0.23 of a gram.

An expert later confirmed that the powder was cocaine worth between £8,230 and £10,400.

Ms Taylor said police also found a bag which had '250' written on it and two bags each bearing the number '125'. 

It is believed that they had all contained and that the numbers referred to grams, she said. 

Therefore it looked as though Griffey had also possessed another £40,000 to £50,000 worth of cocaine.

"The opinion of the drug expert is that these packages are indicative of significant amounts of cocaine having been through his home address," said Ms Taylor.

Griffey was released on licence in April last year from a four year term for conspiring to supply cocaine in 2018.

Ieuan Callaghan, defending, said Griffey had shown remorse and was determined to address his own addiction.

Griffey had been working as a lorry driver but was let go after just two weeks because he could not provide five years of insurance records due to the time he had been in prison, Mr Callaghan said.

"Towards the end of 2023 he found himself struggling with employment and he relapsed and began using cocaine again."

Recorder Mawhinney, in passing sentence, told Griffey "I have to take into account the state of prison overcrowding.

"It is a factor which depresses what otherwise might have been the sentence.

"It brings the sentence down, although not by a lot."