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Selfie With 'Turkey Teeth' Leads to Jail Terms After Police Use Facial Recognition

The case shows how routine phone checks with facial recognition turn a casual image into evidence.

Overview

  • Coran Davies and Dale Howell were sentenced Thursday at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court, with Davies jailed for 48 months and Howell for 36.
  • South Wales Police identified Davies by running retrospective facial recognition on a selfie he sent from a dentist’s chair after dental work in Turkey.
  • Detectives were already examining the recipient’s phone as part of an ongoing probe, where messages referenced supplying cocaine and cannabis.
  • Plain-clothed officers later spotted Davies driving through Tonypandy in March 2025, arrested him and passenger Howell, and found cocaine, cannabis and thousands in cash.
  • An earlier Misuse of Drugs Act warrant in Treherbert recovered an ounce of cocaine, cannabis and drug paraphernalia, adding context to the wider investigation.