A YOUNG drug dealer from Wellington has been jailed for more than three years after pleading guilty to several offences and being in breach of an earlier suspended custodial sentence.

Joe Slade, aged 23, of Waterloo Road, was sentenced for seven offences arising from an incident in July, 2023, and two more occasions days apart in August, 2025.

Taunton Crown Court Judge Edward Burgess KC heard Slade was caught with class A and C drugs which he intended to supply to others.

He was also in possession of small quantities of class A and B drugs, and £1,530 cash which was the proceeds of his criminal conduct.

Slade admitted the offences at earlier hearings.

The court heard on the first occasion, Slade was found with 29.54 grams of the controlled class A drug methylenedioxymethylamphetamine, or MDMA, which he intended to supply to persons unknown.

He was also in possession of the psychoactive substance nitrous oxide, intending to supply it to another person for consumption for its effects, and had 0.76 grams of MDMA for his own use as well as 0.18 grams of the class B drug ketamine.

When he was arrested on the first of two occasions in August of last year, Slade was in possession of 56 cannisters of the controlled class C drug nitrous oxide with intent to supply them to other people.

On his second arrest in August, 2025, he had with him 162 cannisters of nitrous oxide which he intended to supply to other persons unknown for wrongful inhalation.

Judge Burgess sentenced Slade to a total of 37 months’ imprisonment, and also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of all the drugs and paraphernalia which had been seized.

Slade was in breach of a suspended sentence imposed in September, 2022, but Judge Burgess decided not to make a further order.