Seventeen people have been jailed after a successful operation targeting heroin and crack cocaine dealers in Mid Wales.

Six of those sentenced at Swansea Crown Court are from Llandrindod Wells and another six are from Newtown. Another of those jailed is from Welshpool. 

Operation Moose was a protracted investigation by officers from the Dyfed-Powys Police Serious and Organised Crime Team.

They conducted a covert investigation between the February 2019 and June 2019 that focused on the supply of Class A drugs in Newtown, Llandrindod Wells and surrounding areas.

More than £10,000 of heroin and crack cocaine were seized during the operation - 48.58g of heroin with the purity ranging between 26 per cent and 67 per cent and 3.49g of crack cocaine with the purity ranging between 61 per cent and 100 per cent.

DI Gareth Grant said: “This result has come from a large-scale operation, including the use of undercover officers, that has seen us take a significant number of people out of a criminal group and helped safeguard vulnerable people in Powys.

“The sentences we have seen over the last few days show how seriously Dyfed-Powys Police takes drug trafficking.

“Dyfed-Powys Police will continue to seek justice against those who continue to commit such crimes in our communities.”

Those sentenced at Swansea Crown Court this week as part of Op Moose:

  • David Thomas Warner, aged 56, of Yew Tree Close, Gurnos, Merthyr Tydfil, was entenced to nine years in prison.
  • Joanna Stella Morgan, aged 36, of Sunningdale, Llandrindod Wells, was sentenced to seven years.
  • Stuart Reddell, aged 40, of Llys Heulog, Llandrindod Wells, was sentenced to five years.
  • Michael Gubbins, aged 46, of no fixed abode was sentenced to six years and four months.
  • Paul David Greenway, aged 41, of Gwynfa, Llandrindod Wells, was sentenced to eight years.
  • Richard Hopkins, aged 41, of Fern Square, Newtown, was sentenced to four years and six months.
  • George Duggan Shearer, aged 52, of Overmore, Llandrindod Wells, was sentenced to two years and six months.
  • Clifford Bishop-Laggett, aged 38, of Sunningdale, Llandrindod Wells, was sentenced to three years.
  • Simon Hodgson, aged 33, of Gelli, Newtown, was sentenced to three years and four months.
  • Donovan Bond, aged 34, of Oldford Rise, Welshpool, was sentenced to three years and nine months.
  • Antonia Williams, aged 38, of Heol Rhedyn, Newtown, was sentenced to three years and six months.
  • Sheena Butterworth, aged 32, of Fern Square, Newtown, was sentenced to two years and eight months.
  • Mark Anthony Gray, aged 39, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to three years and four months.
  • Shaun David Johnson, aged 37, of Pendre, New Road, Newtown, was sentenced to two years and eight months.
  • Nicholas Price, aged 28, of Glandwr, Newtown, was sentenced to four years.
  • Joe Alan Pringle, aged 29, of Finch Court, Llandrindod Wells, Powys, was sentenced to three years and four months

This comes on top of the 27 months in prison handed down to David Scott Pritchard, aged 31, of The Grange, Llandrindod Wells, in August last year for his part in this operation.

Sentencing of Georgina Church, aged 30, of Orchid Walk, Newtown, Carl Cowans, aged 39, of Orchid Walk, Newtown, and Craig Daniel Roberts, aged 30, of Ty Wesley, Wrexham, has been adjourned to a later date.

DI Grant added: “There was a huge amount of activity behind this illegal operation so these results go to show the level of our investigation, which has made all but a few of them plead guilty, because the case against them was so strong.”