Pictured: Jailed drugs gang who flooded rural towns with heroin, cocaine and cannabis

The gang, based in the Leighton Arches area of Welshpool, have been jailed for a combined total of more than 60 years for their roles in a county lines drug operation.

The operation brought large amounts of cocaine, heroin and cannabis from the Wolverhampton area into the Leighton Arches site. From there it was distributed to Welshpool, Newtown, Knighton and other Powys towns over a number of months.

The gang - made up of people from Wolverhampton, Welshpool and Knighton - was busted when 80 police officers descended on the Welshpool travellers' site on June 21 last year. During the raid they found drugs with a street value of £25,721, as well as £45,000 of cash and assets.

At Mold Crown Court this week, all but one were sentenced for conspiracy to supply drugs.

Handing out jail terms to 11 gang members, Judge Niclas Parry said rural Mid Wales had been flooded with drugs, causing misery for families and the community at large.

• Martin John Gallagher, 35, of Leighton Arches, was sentenced to seven years and two months in prison

• Michael Power, 20, of Leighton Arches, was sentenced to four years and six months

• Patrick David Stokes, 33, of Leighton Arches, was sentenced to eight years and nine months

• John Paul Power, 26, of Leighton Arches, was sentenced to seven years and six months

• Kuldeep Sahota, 35, of Broad Lanes, Wolverhampton, was sentenced to five years and four months

• Gavin Andrew Tony Warley, 29, of Fourth Avenue, Wolverhampton, was sentenced to eight years and three months

• Joshua Large, 23, of Brook Close, Coven, was sentenced to four years and 10 months

• Sheldon Terrence Kay, 24, of Station Road, Knighton, was sentenced to six years and six months

• Kristian Rigby, 28, of Radnor Drive, Knighton, was sentenced to two years

• Daniel Seyffert, 39, of High Street, Presteigne, was sentenced to three years

• Lee Husbands, 22, of Bowling Green Lane, Knighton, was sentenced to three years

• Lucy Lloyd, 34, of Heyope, Knighton, who pleaded guilty to assisting an organised crime group, received an 18-month sentence suspended for two years

Dyfed-Powys Police have described Patrick Stokes, John Paul Power, Michael Power, and Martin Gallagher as the principal members of the Welshpool-based group.

The force said the organised crime group (OCG) had trusted associates based in Knighton and Presteigne acting as sub-dealers, and that Stokes, Michael Power, John Paul Power and Gallagher each had a separate customer base with whom they would communicate by phone calls, SMS and social media.

Describing how the operation worked, police said that once drugs had been obtained, Stokes, John Paul Power and Gallagher would operate by sending ‘bulk texts’ to numerous recipients, with the SMS having content such as ‘Got In’ and ‘Got pukka flake in’.

Gavin Warley from Wolverhampton was identified as the supplier. He used Kuldeep Sahota, Bastable and Joshua Large as couriers to run the drugs from the Wolverhampton into Mid Wales.

Officers found evidence of a conspiracy to supply controlled drugs on 62 occasions - weighing around 3.5kg and with a street value of between £352,160 and £440,200 - from August 1 2020 to June 30 2021.

Detective Inspector Richard 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 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.”