FOUR men have been put behind bars for their part in a multi-gang conspiracy which saw huge amounts of drugs being brought into North Wales.
Anthony Preston, aged 45 and of Leopold Road in Kensington, Liverpool, appeared for sentence at Caernarfon Crown Court on Thursday afternoon alongside co-defendants 28-year-old Matthew McGrath, of Access Road in Liverpool, 42-year-old Lee Cole of Old Hall Street in Liverpool and 43-year-old Kenneth Houghton, of no fixed abode.
All four had been convicted previously of conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs - including cocaine and amphetamine - as well as McGrath facing sentence on additional charges of possession with intent to supply class A and B.
Simon Rogers, prosecuting, told the court that the conspiracy involved three organised crime groups (OCGs) operating on different tiers; one operating in Wrexham, another operating regionally from Liverpool and another above that acting on a national level.
Their activities saw significant amounts of drugs being couriered from Liverpool into Wrexham.
The Leader reported earlier this year on the jailing of numerous people in connection with the Wrexham arm of the conspiracy.
READ MORE: Members of Wrexham-based Organised Crime Group jailed for drug supply
Preston, the court heard, was the head of the Liverpool OCG and was responsible for buying and selling the drugs on a large scale, as well as arranging distribution to North Wales.
Houghton was his "trusted right-hand man" and acted on instructions from Preston.
He was in direct contact with those lower down the chain, as well as with the OCG in Wrexham.
Cole acted as a "deputy" to Preston and took the place of Houghton when he was arrested in July 2021.
And McGrath acted under the direction of another as part of the national OCG.
Mr Rogers said when police raided Preston's home in February 2022, it was clear he had been living a "luxurious lifestyle."
Lee Cole had been living in a "penthouse suite" in Liverpool and when police searched the place, they found numerous burner phones and drugs, as well as notebooks with handwritten notes indicating money owed as part of the drugs supply.
McGrath's home was raided too, with officers finding significant quantities of cocaine and ketamine, as well as cash, tick lists, phones and more.
Outside his property, officers found a Renault Twingo which had a hidden compartment under a seat which "hinged back" to reveal a void.
Inside, they discovered more drugs.
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Throughout the time period of the conspiracy - from January 2021 to February 2022 - the street value of all drugs seized came to between £1.7m and £2.3m.
Anthony Barraclough, defending Preston, conceded his client's personal circumstances would not affect the sentence a great deal.
He called on Judge Timothy Petts to consider that the drugs figure the court was looking at for his client in terms of the primary charge was eight kilos: some three over the indicative figure of five in the sentencing guidelines.
But he said: "Five kilos was once a very large amount, but I am afraid it is a small amount now in the overall scheme of class A conspiracies."
Julian Nutter, defending Houghton, asked the court to give his client full credit for his guilty pleas and emphasised that he was not active in the conspiracy after his arrest in July 2021.
"He does not wish to return to crime," Mr Nutter told the hearing.
"And he wishes to express remorse for what he's done.
"Once he's served his sentence, his intention is to go straight and keep out of trouble."
Damian Nolan, defending Cole, said his client had worked "industriously" after completing a 15-year prison sentence - but fell on hard financial times when lockdown came into effect.
He explained: "He stupidly reacquainted himself with the world of class A drugs supply.
"The remorse he feels is not about himself - he knows he has to be punished - but it's about the impact on his close family."
Nick Williams, defending McGrath, said: "Mr McGrath initially got involved to store the drugs and that progressed to him taking orders and delivering.
"He became a bookkeeper for his employer, in effect.
"But importantly for him, he has no previous convictions - this is his first involvement in the world of drug supply, and he's made it clear to me he's already learned a difficult lesson."
Judge Timothy Petts handed down overall sentences as follows: 13 years and one month for Preston, 11 years and three months for McGrath and Cole, and 10 years and two months for Houghton.
Following the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Hughes, the Senior Investigating Officer, said: “The overall result following this operation 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.
“The quantity of drugs seized from this sophisticated gang as part of Operation Blue Cashel was one of the larges 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.
“Those who see North Wales as an easy target to supply drugs will be thwarted and we remain committed to tackling this crime that has such a detrimental effect on people’s lives.
“We will relentlessly pursue anyone who breaks the law and exploits vulnerable people for their own gain, and we will continue to strive to make North Wales the safest place to live, work and visit in the UK.”
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