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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Kelly-Ann Mills

'Greedy' couple with £60k jobs are jailed after becoming weekend cocaine dealers

A glamorous couple earning £60,000-a-year turned to selling cocaine to pay for luxury foreign holidays and designer clothes.

Katie Barrington and Trenae Greenland were jailed for topping up earnings from their day jobs by becoming evening and weekend cocaine dealers.

A court heard the pair had been in a five-year relationship and had a "sound future" together, before they were caught by police.

Prosecutor Nigel Fryer said the pair earned "upwards of £100 a day on a weekday and £200 on a weekend" by selling cocaine, and would pick and choose when they worked.

Mr Fryer said: "There were many conversations about future holidays, expensive holidays.

"Their motivation here was greed."

Trenae Greenland (WALES NEWS SERVICE)
Katie Barrington (WALES NEWS SERVICE)

Mr Fryer said searches of 30-year-old Greenland's address found cash and high-value designer clothing.

He said they were spotted in a Volkswagen Golf parked outside a block of flats when a man came out to their car and then left again.

Mr Fryer said: "Officers quickly came to the view a drug deal was taking place.

“A large amount of cash was recovered."

Katie Barrington was 'greedy' (WALES NEWS SERVICE)

Newport Crown Court heard officers also found three bags of white powder and a Nokia mobile phone that the women had tried to conceal in the car, as well as an iPhone.

Mr Fryers said that officers analysed the phone and found references to how much money they were making by drug dealing.

The pair, of Newport, Gwent, admitted possession of cocaine with intent to supply, being concerned in the supply of cocaine, and possession of criminal property.

Trenae Greenland wanted luxuries (WALES NEWS SERVICE)

Kevin Seal, defending Greenland said the pair were in " the ravages of an addiction" and sold drugs to pay off a debt to dealers.

Nicholas Gedge, for 29-year-old Barrington, said: “She is an intelligent young lady. Her family and friends speak very highly of her.

"Her route into cocaine addiction is a very sensitive one. She struggled for a long time to deal with it. This sent her into drug debt. This is what she thought was a way out."

Katie Barrington has been jailed (WALES NEWS SERVICE)

Judge DJ Hale told them: “You were in a relationship for around five years. You both had good jobs. Your household income from those jobs together was over £60,000-a-year.

“You had a sound future together, and you have thrown it all away through, in effect, shared greed.

“If you hadn’t been caught by sheer chance, you would’ve carried on doing this. Putting more people in debt. You got into this because you were in debt, but you knew how this was putting customers in debt.

“You are two young ladies of good character. Two young ladies with a future which you have thrown away."

They were each jailed for two years and eight months in prison and face a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing to repay their ill-gotten gains.

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