The moment a drug gang responsible for smuggling millions of pounds-worth of Class As from the north west into Wales was brought down was captured by a police drone.
The sophisticated organised crime group (OCG) modified cars to smuggle large amounts of drugs from Merseyside into North Wales towns. In February last year, a number of raids were carried out at several properties in both locations.
More than 18kg of cocaine; 19kg of amphetamine; and 885 grams of cannabis was seized as part of the operation - with a total estimated street value of around £2m. The movements of those suspected to be involved in the drug supply chain were closely monitored for months prior by North Wales Police as part of Operation Blue Cashel.
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Police also seized a significant amount of cash and three cars. The OCG modified their cars with sophisticated electronic hides in the floor pan to transport the drugs into North Wales, reports the ECHO.
A ledger recovered from a house during a raid noted a monthly turnover of £1.2m. Another ledger recovered from one of the seized vehicles noted that between July 2021 and February 2022, more than £4.8m worth of drugs had been sold by the gang.
Footage released by North Wales Police shows the moment several officers intercept several members of the OCG in a car park. The drone footage shows the officers emerge from an undercover white van before tackling and handcuffing the gang members.
Soon after several police cars, some marked and others unmarked, drive over and box in the drug dealers' cars. The officers can be seen wrestling some members of the gang to the ground.
Caernarfon Crown Court heard this week how the 11 defendants pleaded guilty to their roles in the OCG. Among them was the gang's leader Nathan John Barnes, 33, of Heol Y Bryn, Garden Village, Wrexham, who was jailed for 10 years for conspiring to supply class A and B drugs. His 'second in command' Mark Shaun Armstrong, 31, of Deva Way, Queens Park, Wrexham, was also jailed for 10 years for conspiring to supply class A and B drugs.
A judge condemned a third man, Daniel Lee Williams, 35, of Kenyon Avenue, Wrexham, for encouraging his 66-year-old mum Gillian Williams to hide the drugs in her house. NorthWalesLive reported Liverpool man Joshua Daniel Brizell, 31, of Faversham Road, Walton, was intercepted by police when travelling from Liverpool to North Wales.
Officers searched his car and found about £36,500 in cash in a shoebox. Two cheap, burner phones were also discovered with postcode searches for addresses relating to Barnes and Armstrong. Barnes' fingerprint was also found.
Detective Inspector Mark Hughes, the senior investigating officer, said: "The quantity of drugs seized from this sophisticated gang as part of Operation Blue Cashel was one of the largest hauls ever recovered in North Wales. A good deal of planning and organisation went into the operation, and the rewards for the gang were clearly very high.
"[The] result is a testament to the hard work and dedication of all the officers involved and sends a strong message that we do not tolerate drug dealing in our communities – and those who see North Wales as an easy target to supply drugs will be thwarted. We remain committed to tackling this crime, that has such a detrimental effect on people’s lives, and we will relentlessly pursue anyone who breaks the law and exploits vulnerable people for their own gain.
"We will continue to strive to make North Wales the safest place to live, work and visit in the UK."
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