Teacher 'had €1m cocaine lab at home'

A teacher turned drug dealer had a cocaine laboratory in his home worth around £900,000 (€1m), a police officer has told a disciplinary hearing.

Father-of-two Macphallen Kuwale was handed a three-and-a-half year jail term by Cardiff Crown Court last year after being caught with around £8,000 worth of the Class A substance.

Detectives also uncovered a “sophisticated” wholesale operation – comprising of cutting agents worth hundreds of thousands of pounds as well as a pressing machine – to make the cocaine appear to be of a higher grade.

A General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW) hearing today heard that Malawian-born Kuwale was an IT teacher at Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen, Bridgend, when arrested by police.

As well as his criminal conviction, Kuwale now faces being struck off the teaching register.

Detective Timothy Jones, of South Wales Police’s drug squad, told a panel that 111 grammes of cocaine was seized during the raid at Kuwale’s home in Llanrumney, Cardiff.

He said: “Kuwale was heavily involved in the supply of cocaine.

“He was involved in street level dealing as well as a sophisticated wholesale operation.

“It was totally unusual. It is not something that you come across everyday.”