An Aberystwyth woman has been jailed, and an organised crime gang disrupted, after heroin worth £45,000 was found at her home, a court has heard.

Dyfed-Powys Police found more than 400g of the class A drug during a warrant search at Susan Marie Proffitt’s home in South Road – resulting in one of the force’s largest single seizures of heroin in Ceredigion.

Proffitt, 52, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply and was sentenced to 57 months in prison when she appeared at Swansea Crown Court on Thursday, 26 November.

Police said the result has disrupted an active organised crime gang supplying class A drugs to the area.

Sgt Steven Jones said: “This swift and thorough investigation involved officers and staff from departments across the division, who worked together to secure this result.

“The defendant had a huge amount of heroin at her home, with efforts taken to conceal bags of the drug around the property.

“There is no doubt that in taking Proffitt out of the supply chain we will have disrupted an organised crime gang which she was a trusted part of in supplying heroin into the division.”

Officers carried out a warrant at the 52-year-old’s home in South Road on 30 August this year.

On searching the property, a box containing 408g of heroin was found concealed in a vent under the staircase, and two further wraps were found in a shower head bracket.

Fingerprint marks matching those of Proffitt were found on these items.

Four mobile phones were also seized from the property.

Sgt Jones said: “The quantity of heroin recovered is far in excess of what he would expect to see someone who is simply a user to be in possession of for their own use.

“Given the value of the heroin recovered and the financial circumstances of the defendant, we were confident it was unlikely she would be able to fund a purchase of such a quantity of heroin without being involved in the supply of drugs.

“The only realistic reason for possessing this quantity of heroin was for supply onto others.”