Cardiff Crown Court Sentencing Results

In January 2026, police searched the home of Christopher Williams in Mountain Ash and discovered several clear bags of cannabis along with weighing scales. High-value items including Nike shoes and Rolex watches were also recovered from the property. Williams sped off in his Volkswagen Golf upon the officers' arrival but returned later and was arrested. Additional expensive footwear was found in his vehicle. The search uncovered a haul of cannabis and luxury items indicative of criminal activity.

Corey Richards, 27, of Manor Gate, Greenmeadow, Cwmbran, was involved in supplying cocaine, a class A drug, in the town between January 9, 2024 and October 25, 2024, over a period of nearly ten months.

Khalis Reynolds was caught openly dealing cocaine to a line of six or seven waiting customers on Commercial Street in Newport at around 1.35pm on Monday, January 26, 2026. Police discovered him supplying pre-ordered deals in broad daylight on a busy street. Analysis of his phone revealed 'text bombs' sent to his customer base and exchanges with clients, including one saved as 'Shaggy'. He was dividing drugs into small street deals and played a significant role in the operation with a third party, aware of its scale. Reynolds had a troubled background, losing his mother at age four and recently his father, who was a drug addict; he was expecting his first child and dealt in exchange for crack cocaine rather than financial gain.

On October 10, 2023, William Jamieson, 27, of Bron y Wawr, North Cornelly, was stopped by police driving a Ford Fiesta in a dangerous position near junction 10 of the M3 motorway close to Basingstoke, Hampshire. He appeared under the influence of drugs, confirmed by a saliva test positive for cocaine, and was accompanied by his partner. A search of the vehicle revealed a black flick knife and a police-issued stab vest under the driver's seat, 18 wraps of heroin (6.25g) and two wraps of cocaine (0.13g) hidden in a container inside a hoody on the front passenger seat, and a rucksack containing scales and cling film. A subsequent search at his partner's address uncovered an additional 36.23g of heroin in a plastic container, plus 5.11g of cannabis. In total, 42.84g of heroin was seized with a street value of £1,680 to £2,410. Mobile phones seized from Jamieson showed evidence of an active drug supply operation, including videos of him with large quantities of drugs and holding two knives.

Kyle Williams, 38, of Cwmtillery, directed a cocaine supply network between April 1, 2024 and March 29, 2025, across the Gwent Valleys, using Simon Farr to carry out deliveries. The operation involved selling directly to users over the course of a year.

Simon Farr, 54, of Abertillery, acted as a runner for Kyle Williams in a cocaine supply network between April 1, 2024 and March 29, 2025, across the Gwent Valleys, carrying out deliveries on Williams' behalf. Officers recovered swords, machetes, daggers and five firearms from his home, but he was not charged in connection with them.

Craig Jones, 40, of Newport, was involved in selling heroin and cocaine on the streets of Newport. Arrested last October on Rembrandt Way with 16 wraps of cocaine worth £500 and three wraps of heroin worth £60. Sentenced to serve around half of his 45-month sentence behind bars before release on licence. Ordered to pay statutory victim surcharge.

Sarah Rees, 44, of Ty Sign, Risca, Jones' girlfriend, was arrested last October on Rembrandt Way in Newport. Linked to the operation of selling heroin and cocaine on the streets of Newport. Ordered to pay statutory victim surcharge.

Rhys Probert, 40, was detained at his home in Newport, last October, where officers found a quarter of a kilogram of heroin worth thousands of pounds. Also admitted possession of a knife in public on Pugsley Street. Sentenced to serve around half of his 45-month sentence behind bars before release on licence. Ordered to pay statutory victim surcharge.

Lucas Byrne, 22, of Barry, operated an active drugs line known as the LZ line, supplying cocaine to low-level dealers and street-dealing himself. He evaded detection by repeatedly switching the SIM card between different handsets and sent bulk text messages to up to 50 contacts. Officers identified him through call data, messages on other phones, and social media links. He was arrested on March 22, 2026, carrying £1,670 in cash and an iPhone.

On February 10, 2026, undercover officers from South Wales Police's serious and organised crime team observed Lee Whitfield engaging in suspicious behaviour during proactive covert patrols in Cardiff, believing they witnessed a drug deal. Subsequent enquiries confirmed that an individual meeting Whitfield possessed crack cocaine. Whitfield was later seen repeatedly entering and exiting a property, suspected of supplying drugs. Upon arrest at the address, searches of the property and his vehicle recovered an iPhone linked to a drugs line, a crack pipe, loose rocks of crack cocaine, digital scales with traces of white powder, and white rocks in clear wrapping.

Christopher Preston, 68, from Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, participated in the organised crime group's supply of wholesale cocaine and cannabis to southern Wales. The operation involved sophisticated cannabis factories in Blackwood and Trebanog, leading to arrests on July 29 and 30, 2025.

Ashley Coughlan, 42, from Newport, participated in an organised crime group supplying wholesale cocaine across southern Wales and southwest England. The group was dismantled through Operation Allegro, with arrests on July 29 and 30, 2025.

Kory Preece, 25, from Caldicot, Monmouthshire, was part of the organised crime group supplying cannabis and other drugs across southern Wales. He changed his plea to guilty during trial on January 21, 2026. The group operated cannabis factories in residential properties in Blackwood and Trebanog, with arrests on July 29 and 30, 2025.

Louis Maxwell, 39, from Newport, was involved in an organised crime group led by Danny Tomlin, responsible for supplying large quantities of cocaine and cannabis to customers in southern Wales. The operation featured cannabis factories in residential properties in Blackwood and Trebanog. Arrested on July 29 and 30, 2025.

Danny Tomlin, 40, from Wooton-Under-Edge, Gloucestershire, led an organised crime group responsible for supplying wholesale amounts of Class A drugs, namely cocaine, and Class B drugs, namely cannabis, to a customer base across southern Wales. The operation included two sophisticated cannabis factories in residential properties in Blackwood and Trebanog. He was arrested during warrants executed on July 29 and 30, 2025.

David Gorman, 41, from Charfield, South Gloucestershire, was a member of the organised crime group involved in the wholesale supply of cocaine to southern Wales. The operation included cannabis cultivation sites in Blackwood and Trebanog, with arrests occurring on July 29 and 30, 2025.

Jack Griffin, 21, from Newport, was involved in the conspiracy to supply cannabis as part of an organised crime group operating across southern Wales and southwest England. The group ran cannabis factories in Blackwood and Trebanog and was targeted in arrests on July 29 and 30, 2025.

Ryan Battersby, 36, from Newport, was part of an organised crime group supplying wholesale amounts of cocaine and cannabis across southern Wales and southwest England. The group operated sophisticated cannabis factories in Blackwood and Trebanog. He was arrested during warrants on July 29 and 30, 2025.

Bradley Williams, 38, of Higher Meadow, Llanrhidian, Swansea, met Preston in Abertillery on June 5 and carried a laundry bag into a lane, placing it between two bins, before being arrested.

Azim Ahmed, 27, of Newport, acted as cash courier, making 316 daily evening taxi journeys to collect takings from street dealers. When Zekkam Ali was recalled to prison, Ahmed stepped up to run the drugs line for several months as part of the £8m Class A drugs network operating in south Wales.

Asjad Ali, 33, of Newport, couriered and delivered drugs across Newport and was involved in adulterating cocaine. He purchased a hydraulic press in July 2024, set up in his bedroom, to process the drugs. On 22 October 2024, he was stopped on the M4 with heroin and cocaine worth £10,000 in his pocket. A search of his home uncovered 5g of cocaine, 40g of heroin, and the press. He shared the home with his partner Sarah Chant.

Anthony Caruana, 31, of Rogerstone, was entrusted with running the drugs line during a period when Zekkam Ali left the country to attend a wedding in Pakistan. He was found with the burner phone containing the SIM card linked to the drugs line during the police takedown on 24 October 2024, as part of the £8m Class A drugs conspiracy.

Connor Beale, 29, of Newport, was the customer-facing dealer, observed conducting repeated hand-to-hand exchanges in vehicles and on foot in the Ringland area for the organised crime group supplying £8m worth of heroin and crack cocaine across south Wales.

Mohammed Boota, 37, of Newport, stored and distributed drugs from his home address and accompanied Zekkam Ali on supply trips to Birmingham as part of the criminal network that supplied £8m worth of Class A drugs across south Wales, Gloucestershire, and Somerset.

Sarah Chant, 32, of Duffryn, shared a home with Asjad Ali where a hydraulic press for adulterating cocaine was set up in a bedroom. She was seen driving her husband to supply drugs on two occasions and was directly involved in discussions about purchasing the press. She was arrested after being stopped driving a BMW in Capel Crescent as part of the £8m Class A drugs network operation.

Jack Ryan, 22, from Barry, supplied cocaine.

Anthony Sutton, 35, of Barry, supplied cocaine and cannabis over a period from March 2024 to January 2025.

Soraya Hatim, 46, of Ely, Cardiff, continued supplying Class A drugs including heroin and crack cocaine across the city for months after a police raid on her home on October 29, 2025, where officers seized a mobile phone linked to a drugs line. Despite the raid, she switched to a second phone and persisted in dealing until her arrest on January 16, 2026, near Culverhouse Cross, where police found £610 in cash, wraps of heroin and crack cocaine, and the second drugs line phone. She was already subject to a suspended prison sentence and community order at the time. Hatim had relapsed into drug use and fallen into debt, leading her to sell drugs under pressure. She has 33 previous convictions for 88 offences.