TWO pub managers were caught supplying balloons which are also known as laughing gas or NOS.

Stefan Ramsden, 31, and Troy Bowyer, also 31, both from Newport, were found with boxes of nitrous oxide cannisters when police stopped them in the city.

Nik Strobl, prosecuting, said the duo were pulled over when officers spotted them travelling in an Audi A3 car linked to drug dealing.

They seized cannisters worth around £180 inside the vehicle and a mobile phone from Bowyer which had incriminating evidence on it.

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“There were messages on the phone asking or arranging the supply of nitrous oxide,” Mr Strobl told Cardiff Crown Court.

Cash was also recovered although that money was takings from a pub the defendants were running at the time.

Ramsden, of Aberthaw Road, and Bowyer, of Aberthaw Drive, pleaded guilty to possession of nitrous oxide with intent to supply.

The offences were committed on November 11 last year.

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Ramsden had three convictions for five offences and was jailed for three years in 2020 for witness intimidation and possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

He had been released on licence at the time of this offence.

Bowyer had nine previous convictions for 11 offences and was the subject of a community order for battery at the time.

Jenny Yeo, for trained chef Bowyer, said: “The defendant’s close friend died in a murder in 2021 and the pub was run in his memory.

“He does a lot of work for charity which has included delivering food to the homeless at Christmas.”

Hashim Salmman, representing, said: “His best credit is his guilty plea.”

His barrister added that his client had already served the equivalent of a three-month jail sentence after being recalled on licence following his arrest in November.

Ramsden, also a father-of-two, has been diagnosed with anxiety and depression.

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Judge Matthew Porter-Bryant told the defendants: “This was a somewhat opportunistic crime.

“You were supplying on demand and supplying in a large quantity.”

He added: “You both played a significant role.”

The judge said he was prepared to suspend their prison sentences because there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.

Bowyer was jailed for eight months but suspended for 18 months.

He was ordered to complete a 15-day rehabilitation activity order and pay £200 costs.

Ramsden was jailed for six months and that sentence was suspended for 18 months.

He was also ordered to complete a 15-day rehabilitation activity order and pay £200 costs.