- Emily Lock, of Llanonbradach, Caerphilly less than £10,000 a year at Lidl, boasted of luxury lifestyle online
- The 22-year-old, who earned less than £10,000 a year at Lidl posted pictures of designer clothes and holidays
- She was jailed for 15 months after admitting acquiring criminal property at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court
- Boyfriend Mark Price, who claimed to be a ‘stuggling builder’ jailed for seven years for possession of cocaine
By
Ed Riley For Mailonline
Published:
08:16 BST, 10 April 2018
| Updated:
11:44 BST, 10 April 2018
A cocaine dealer’s law student girlfriend helped police smash a major drugs ring by boasting of her luxury lifestyle on social media.
Emily Lock, 22, of Llanbradach, Caerphilly, who earned less than £10,000 as a part time checkout worker at Lidl, posted pictures on Instagram of designer clothes, shoes and extravagant holidays.
Along with her dealer boyfriend Mark Price, 27, they splashed out £100,000 on their ‘Kim Kardashian lifestyle’ of foreign travel and high end goods.
Price, who claimed to be a struggling builder, even bought a an Audi RS4, while Lock splashed the drugs money on Vivienne Westwood handbags, Gucci sunglasses, Christian Louboutin shoes and Christian Dior perfume.
Emily Lock took selfies on one of her many holidays abroad (left and right) as she visited Miami, Paris, Spain, Amsterdam and Dubai
Lock jetted of the glamorous locations around the world, and would post pictures of her on the beach (left) and also uploaded snaps of her purchases, like these Tommy Hilfiger denim shorts (right)
Another picture uploaded on her Instagram included this of the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas
Prosecutor Roger Griffiths told Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court the couple went on holiday to Amsetrdam, Paris, Alicante, and Dubai – and had a trip to Thailand booked.
Police raided Lock’s home in September 2017 and found a blue plastic bag containing 110g of cocaine at 83% purity.
They seized his phone, which was found to contain a message to co-defendant Kyle Crowley boasting of making up to £1,600 a week from dealing cocaine.
Officers also found a receipt for his Audi.
Lock with boyfriend Mark Price on holiday in Miami, (left) and the couple posing in front of a Ferrari spider hire car in Dubai (right)
The law student, who got three grade A’s at A-level – and obsessed with living like a celebrity, and dreamed of a Kim Kardashian lifestyle
Emily Lock (right, in Paris, and left, showing off her passport as she made her way abroad) boasted of her luxury lifestyle on Instagram
One of Lock’s purchases included these Christian Louboutin shoes
Other items included Chanel trainers (left) and Versace slippers (right)
The court heard he took out a £33,000 loan by fraudulently stating he was employed by a construction company that had gone bust.
Price, of Caerphilly, admitted possessing cocaine with intent to supply, being concerned in the supply of cocaine and fraud.
Police searched Lock’s home and found high-end designer clothing, jewellery, watches, bags and other accessories.
Prosecutors estimated the items to be worth around £50,000, with some belonging to her and some to her boyfriend.
Price showing off some of his designer gear in a social media selfie (left) and the couple together on a shopping trip
Mark Price (left) was jailed for seven years for possession of cocaine, and Lock (right) was sentenced to 15 months for acquiring criminal property
Mr Griffiths said the couple spent around the same again on holidays, travelling to the United Arab Emirates, Spain, France and the Netherlands.
The court heard Lock’s spending habits were ‘inconsistent’ with the salary from her supermarket job.
Prosecutors said she posted incriminating pictures on Instagram which ‘portrayed an extravagant lifestyle.’
When she was interviewed by the police, Lock stated she had no idea her boyfriend was a cocaine dealer and thought he was a builder.
Another selfie taken by Lock, left, and a picture of plane tickets for the couple to Miami, using a Louis Vuitton handbag as a backdrop
Lock also uploaded numerous holiday snaps despite earning less than £10,000 a year in Lidl
Other items she bought with the drug money included Christian Dior perfume (left) and a trip to Dubai (right)
The 22-year-old admitted acquiring criminal property.
Jeffrey Jones, defending Price, suggested his client was immature and stressed he had no criminal record, adding: ‘He has made a significant mistake.’
Judge Crowther jailed Price for seven years.
The court heard Lock was 19 at the time of the offending and Price – who is five years older – was her first boyfriend.
Andrew Taylor, defending Lock, said she achieved three grade A’s at A-level – and was taking a degree in law and criminology.
She hoped to train as a probation officer but started working at Lidl to earn money – before becoming obsessed with living like a celebrity.
He told how ‘many young people today are fixated by a Kim Kardashian type of lifestyle.’
She also posted pictures of luxury department store Harrods in London (left) and Louis Vuitton trainers (right)
He said she was devastated by her arrest described her as ‘incredibly naive’, adding: ‘She has lost everything.’ Lock was jailed for 15 months.
The court heard police raided Crowley and his partner Dionne Thomas’ home, also in Caerphilly, and found 12 cannabis plants with a potential street value of up to nearly £8,000. Officers also discovered £4,000 in cash, which Thomas admitted hiding.
She accepted she knew the money came from drugs and allowed it to pass through her bank account.
Crowley, 28, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine, producing cannabis and supplying cannabis. Thomas, 25, admitted acquiring criminal property.
She also posted this image showing her driving a Ferrari Spider on holiday with Price
Analysis of Price’s phone also led the police to Christopher Morgan and they raided his home on January 5.
Officers found 30 cannabis plants in his attic with an estimated potential yield of between one and three ounces per plant. The 30-year-old later admitted producing and supplying cannabis.
Crowley was jailed for five years, while Thomas was given a community order requiring her to complete 120 hours of unpaid work.
Gareth Williams, defending Morgan, said the father-of-two used to work as a labourer and had a good business. Morgan was given 20 months imprisonment. A hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act will follow.
Christopher Morgan (left) was jailed for 20 months and Kyle Crowley (right) was sentenced to five years in prison
PC Michael Coles, officer in charge of the case for Gwent Police, said: ‘I hope the sentences issued to these individuals highlight that the supply of controlled drugs will not be tolerated in Caerphilly.
‘These people endanger our community and this lengthy investigation shows we are committed to using all powers and resources available to bring them before the courts.
‘I hope this sends a message to those who continue to be involved in the supply of controlled drugs, that you will not just be prosecuted, we will also use our powers to seize any financial assets you have acquired through criminality.’
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