THE net closed on an organised crime group which flooded South Wales with class A drugs when one of them was arrested in Barry, a court has hard.
Craig Williams was part of criminal gang which flooded South Wales with class A drugs.
Williams left the country to the USA to get away from the law, however, on his return to the UK he was picked up at an address in Barry.
Williams was one of four men who were sent to prison for a combined total of more than 23 years.
The men formed an Organised Crime Group who were using encrypted telephones to facilitate the importation and distribution of substantial amounts of class A drugs into the South Wales area.
The investigation – known as Operation Falco - was launched in April 2020 after Tarian, the regional organised crime unit for South Wales, received intelligence from the National Crime Agency which included messages being sent between the gang members and associates.
One of the gang’s regular customers was using the name ‘mercifulalpha’. He was subsequently identified as Cameron Williams.
Williams was a multi-kilogram drug dealer who predominantly supplied cocaine.
He purchased between one and three kilograms of cocaine at a time splitting them for onward supply.
The messages show Williams was supplied with at least 16 kilograms of cocaine and one kilogram of heroin by his suppliers.
They also showed he had an outstanding debt of £45,755 having paid off the majority of an initial £283,500 debt.
There was an established relationship between him and his suppliers and on three occasions Williams arranged for a courier to collect the drugs from them.
Williams entered early guilty pleas in relation to conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin and he was on remand since 2021, awaiting sentence.
Craig Williams was a courier that Cameron Williams used to collect heroin from Liverpool twice in April 2020 – bringing some five kilograms back to Cardiff.
In December 2022, Williams failed to attend Cardiff Crown Court for trial and a warrant was issued for his arrest. It was established that he had fled the UK travelling to the USA.
Working in collaboration with the NCA and the DEA, Williams was quickly found and a warrant was executed in the US. However, he had already fled the States, returning to the UK.
He was arrested a few days later in Barry and remanded into custody. Williams entered a guilty plea on the first day of his trial.
David Osborne was also identified as a courier Cameron Williams used to collect cocaine from his upstream supplier.
On May 15, 2020, Osborne travelled to an address in Newport to collect three kilograms of cocaine for Cameron Williams.
In November 2020, Osborne was arrested for his involvement in the collection of cocaine.
During the search of his premises cocaine and a set of digital scales with cocaine on the weighing pan and a number of unused grip seal bags was seized.
A mobile telephone belonging to Osborne contained evidence that as well as collecting wholesale quantities of cocaine, he was also involved in the lower level dealing of it.
The messages contained on his telephone also showed he was conducting the lower level dealing in partnership with a contact identified as Daniel Lovell.
Osborne entered an early guilty plea in relation to the lower level dealing but denied collecting three kilograms of cocaine. This plea was altered on the first day of trial and a guilty plea was entered.
The fourth member of the gang, Daniel Lovell, was working with David Osborne in the low level dealing of cocaine and was identified through the examination of a mobile telephone seized from Osborne. Lovell entered an early guilty plea in relation to his involvement in the supply of cocaine.
On Wednesday, February 14, Cameron Williams, 24, of Heol Y Gear, Cardiff, was sentenced at Newport Crown Court to 11 years in prison.
On the same day, Craig Williams, 39, of Heol Eglwys, Cardiff, was sentenced to six years and four months in prison.
On Friday, February 9, David Osborne, of Bishopston Road, Cardiff, 40, was sentenced to six years and four months in prison.
Also, on February 9, Daniel Lovell, 34, of Penmark Road, Cardiff, received an 18-month sentence suspended for two years.
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