POLICE officers involved in bringing an end to a drugs gang that flooded Mid Wales with up to £1.5 million worth of cannabis as well as hundreds of thousands of pounds of cocaine have welcomed their jailing.

The organised crime group (OCG) based at Welshpool's Leighton Arches caravan site was made up of principal members Patrick Stokes, John Paul Power, Michael Power, and Martin Gallagher, who all lived there.

The OCG also had trusted associates based within the towns of Knighton and Presteigne acting as sub-dealers.

This week those involved were jailed for a combined 60 years at Mold Crown Court.

Stokes, Michael Power, John Paul Power and Gallagher each had a separate customer base with who they would communicate by phone calls, SMS and social media.

Once drugs had been obtained, the Leighton Arches gang would operate by sending ‘bulk texts’ to numerous recipients, with the SMS having content such as ‘Got In’ and ‘Got pukka flake in’.

The investigation identified the ‘upstream’ supplier as being Gavin Warley, from Wolverhampton, who used couriers Kuldeep Sahota, Kane Bastable and Josh Large to run the drugs into Powys.

DI Richard Lewis, from Dyfed-Powys serious and organised crime team, explained how the operation began and how it added to the day when the Leighton Arches site was raided.

He said: "Officers were able to evidence a conspiracy to supply controlled drugs on 62 occasions between August 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021, when the OCGs orchestrated the trafficking from Wolverhampton to Welshpool for onward supply.

"The total weight of cocaine trafficked over the period is estimated to be in the region of 3.5 kilograms, with a street value in the region of between £352,160 and £440,200.

"Telecommunications show that during the conspiracy period, Stokes, Michael Power, John Paul Power and Gallagher had all been responsible for contacting Warley and arranging for drugs to be delivered to Leighton Arches.

"During the conspiracy period Sahota made 30 journeys from Wolverhampton to Welshpool using two vehicles.

"Bastable made 24 journeys from Wolverhampton to Welshpool in his vehicle.

"On one occasion, on February 27, 2021, his vehicle was stopped by police en-route to Leighton Arches when officers found a plastic bag containing 57.1 grams of cocaine. Large was also in the vehicle with him at that time.

"Large made eight journeys from Wolverhampton to Welshpool in his own vehicle, but also accompanied Bastable on four occasions.

“Following these deliveries there would be increased activity of SMS texting, which would lead to dealers travelling to Leighton Arches to collect drugs.

"This is evidenced by the travel of Sheldon Kay, who predominantly controlled the supply of Class A in the Knighton and Presteigne areas.

"Kay was evidenced to travel to Leighton Arches on 80 separate occasions during the conspiracy period – he would use a number of different couriers and vehicles to travel as he was disqualified from driving."

DI Lewis said a lot of hard work had gone into the investigation, with his officers able to prove the movements of the OCG proving critical to securing a far-reaching prosecution.

“We welcome the sentences handed down by the court today for people who have been involved in bringing drugs into our communities,” he said.

“A lot of work has gone into proving the extent of this operation so I would like to thank all of the officers and support staff involved in securing these convictions.

“As a force, Dyfed-Powys Police is working to make the area a hostile place for anyone bringing in and selling drugs, which have an extremely adverse effect on our communities.

“These sentences show that dealing drugs is not worth it.

"Not only will we seek to bring you to justice for these offences but we will seek to recoup any money or assets that you have profited from as a result of your criminal activity.”