CARDIFF, Wales, March 20 (UPI) -- A teacher sentenced to three and a half years in prison for running a cocaine lab in his home has been banned from teaching, officials in Wales said.
Macphallen Kuwale, a father of two and IT teacher at Coleg Cymunedol Y Dderwen, Bridgend, appeared at a General Teaching Council for Wales hearing Thursday hear whether he would be banned from teaching, Wales Online reported.
At the hearing, Detective Timothy Jones, of South Wales Police's drug squad, 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."
Kuwale, a Malawi native, was arrested in December 2012, convicted last year on drug trafficking charges and sentenced to three and a-half years.
At the time of his arrest, Kuwale denied being a drug dealer and claimed he was holding the drugs as a favor for someone else. He also claimed to be severely stressed at the time. His home was nearly repossessed in 2010.
The case has been noted as being similar to the U.S. cable television show "Breaking Bad."
GTCW panel chairman Steve Powell said the council had no option but to permanently ban Kuwale from teaching.
"Mr. Kuwale presents a significant and ongoing risk to the standards of the profession," Powell said. "His involvement in the illegal drugs trade is evidence of deep-seated attitudinal problems. We cannot be satisfied that there is no risk of repetition. The proportionate sanction is an indefinite prohibition order. The well being of pupils must be protected and the reputation of the profession maintained."
