‘Greedy’ couple who ran drug dealing side hustle made £300k and spent it all on luxury holidays and designer clothes
A “greedy” glamor couple who made nearly £300,000 off cocaine were left with just £1,300 after squandering their money on luxury travel abroad and designer clothes.
Katie Barrington, 30, and Trenae Greenland, 31, traded as a sideline to their combined income of more than £60,000.
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A court heard the couple had been in a relationship for five years and had a “solid future together” before they were accidentally caught by police.
They were jailed in July last year but returned to court so prosecutors could try to recover their ill-gotten gains.
They were told they collectively made a profit of £293,781.31 from proceeds from the criminal proceeding.
Prosecutor Nigel Fryer previously said: “There has been a lot of talk about future bank holidays, expensive bank holidays.”
“Their motivation here was greed.”
Greenland benefited £160,960.27 but has £1,665 in assets available for surrender, Newport Crown Court has been told.
Barrington, 30, won £132,821.04 and has £165 available for confiscation.
The couple have been ordered to pay back the £1,300 money within 28 days – or spend a further three months in jail.
The couple made “more than £100 a day on weekdays and £200 at weekends” selling cocaine and choosing when to work.
Mr Fryer said searches of the Greenlandic address found cash and quality designer clothes.
He said they were seen in a Volkswagen Golf parked outside a block of flats as a man came out to and then exited their car.
Mr Fryer said: “Officers quickly came to the conclusion that a drug deal was taking place.”
“A large amount of cash was seized.”
The court heard officers also found three bags of white powder and a Nokia phone that the women had hidden in the car, as well as an iPhone.
Mr Fryer said officers analyzed the phone and found clues as to how much money they were making from drug dealing.
The Newport and Gwent couple admitted possession of cocaine with intent to supply, as the matter involved cocaine supply and criminal property possession.
Kevin Seal, defending Greenland, said the couple are “in the devastating effects of an addiction” and have been selling drugs to pay off debts to dealers.
Barrington’s Nicholas Gedge said: “She’s an intelligent young lady. Her family and friends praise her greatly.
“Your path to cocaine addiction is a very delicate path. She struggled to deal with it for a long time. This led to her suffering drug debt. She thought that was a way out.”
Judge DJ Hale told them, “They were in a relationship for about five years. You both had good jobs. Her household income from these jobs combined was over £60,000 a year.
“You had a healthy future together, and you practically threw everything away out of shared greed.
“If you hadn’t been caught by accident, you would have continued like this. More people in debt. You went into it because you were in debt, but you knew how it put customers in debt.
“They are two young ladies of good character. Two young ladies with a future you threw away.
They were each sentenced to two years and eight months in prison last July.
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