NEWPORT – Six more individuals have been sentenced for their involvement in a Rhondda-based organised crime group (OCG) led by Thomas and Jack Davies, two brothers previously jailed for their large-scale cocaine distribution operation. On June 21, Newport Crown Court handed down sentences totaling 37 years and 10 months to the remaining defendants.
In total, nine defendants have been sentenced to 71 years and five months for their roles in the family-run conspiracy to supply cocaine across South Wales. The Davies brothers were at the center of the operation, which unraveled in July 2020 when police stopped courier Gavin Etchell on the A40. Seized data linked him to the illegal activities of Thomas Davies.
Further investigation in February 2021 revealed a drug factory in Trealaw, with over two kilograms of cocaine, 50 kilograms of cutting agents, and drug-manufacturing equipment. The garage was rented by the brothers for £50 a month, with their father, Byron Davies, facilitating the arrangement.
A Family Operation:
Thomas Davies orchestrated the import of cocaine, which was distributed across South Wales through couriers. The family had pivotal roles, with Jacqueline and Byron Davies laundering proceeds. Thomas’s partner, Nicole Locke, acted as a street dealer and converted the cocaine into crack.
The operation also involved couriers like Christopher Adams, Scott Alway, and Steven Evans, who traveled nationwide to pick up drugs. Etchell acted as both a courier and a high-level dealer.
Sentences from June 21:
- Jacqueline Davies, 59 – Two years for supplying cocaine and facilitating criminal property.
- Byron Davies, 66 – One year and seven months, suspended for two years, for laundering money through a shell company.
- Scott Headley Alway, 35 – Nine years for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
- Steven John Evans, 38 – Eight years and nine months (plus one year concurrent) for conspiracy to supply cocaine and possession of criminal property.
- Gavin Hayward Etchell, 42 – Eight years for conspiracy to supply cocaine and breaching a Serious Crime Prevention Order.
- Christopher Adams, 39 – Eight years and six months for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
Previously Sentenced:
- Thomas Davies, 38 – 16 years for conspiracy to supply cocaine and crack, and laundering proceeds.
- Jack Davies, 37 – 13 years and 76 months for conspiracy to supply cocaine and crack, and laundering.
- Nicole Locke, 31 – Two years suspended for conspiracy to supply cocaine and crack.