A reggae record label boss has admitted dealing cannabis to his mates.

Armed police raided Grant Tafari’s family home, a council house in Pinehurst, in November 2018, discovering cannabis, £9,000 in cash, weaponry and body armour.

Talented musician Tafari, 26, admitted buying a “nine bar” of cannabis – nine ounces of the class B drug – and offering it to friends.

Messages on the man’s mobile phone pointed to him dealing to more than a dozen people in the three days preceding the raid on November 28.

Prosecutor Hannah Squire said officers had found around 300g of drugs, most of it in the garden shed, a large number of dealer bags and two sets of scales. A police drugs expert had put the street value of the cannabis at more than £3,200 if sold in one gramme deals. But Tafari’s solicitor, Rob Ross, said his client had been selling his friends larger amounts, typically in seven gramme deals, meaning he stood to make less money. Around £2,000 found in the Tafari’s bedroom was the proceeds of his drug dealing. The rest of the cash in the house was said to belong to other family members.

Mr Ross said his client was in employment and ran his own record label, which released its debut reggae album last year.

Tafari, of Beech Avenue, admitted possession with intent to supply cannabis.

Judge Peter Crabtree adjourned sentence for a week. He asked the CPS to clarify a number of points, including how much cannabis Tafari’s friends were asking him to sell to them.

Bailing the man to return to Swindon Crown Court on Wednesday, April 15, the judge said: “I need to know all the facts so I can sentence you fairly.”

Two others were sentenced by Judge Crabtree.

Tafari’s mum Joanne King, 50, of Beech Avenue, admitted permitting her home to be used for smoking cannabis. She was given a 12-month community order with a requirement to complete up to 10 rehabilitation activity days and 40 hours of unpaid work.

Judge Crabtree said: “Anyone involved in drugs or permitting drugs to be taken in their property is committing a serious offence.”

In January last year, mum-of-eight King was made subject to a county court injunction banning her from annoying her neighbours or keeping weapons or storing motorbikes at her Pinehurst council house that she could not prove belonged to family members.

Ryan Smith, 23, also of Beech Avenue, who was caught with part of a cannabis spliff when police raided the Pinehurst house, admitted possession of a class B drug. He was fined £50.

No charges have been brought in relation to weaponry found.