FOUR members of a drugs gang based at a Carmarthenshire farm where police found more than £60,000 of cocaine and £15,500 of cannabis have been jailed.
Stephen Leyson, Samson Leyson, Andrew Jenkins, and Ritchie Coleman were sent to prison for a total of 20 years.
Two other members of the group, Emma Calver-Roberts and Lynne Leyson, will be sentenced next month.
The gang, led by the Leyson family, supplied cocaine and cannabis in multi-kilo quantities, supplying to dealers in Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and parts of Swansea.
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During the trial, the jury heard that police attended Pibwr Farm, near Capel Dewi, in the early hours of October 27, 2021, with a search warrant.
Prosecutor Jim Davis said 290 grams of cannabis was found in a dog shed, and nearly one kilogram was discovered in a suitcase in a nearby field. A further 120g of cannabis was found in a bathroom.
And when Police Dog Billy – who was searching the property – was taken for a break in one of the fields, he picked up a scent, and around one kilogram of cocaine was found stashed in a green plastic bag in a bush.
In total, the cocaine found was worth up to just over £60,000, while the cannabis totalled around £15,615. Officers also found a 9mm semi-automatic handgun in a canvas bag in a wall cavity in a cabin on the smallholding, Mr Davis said.
The items seized were analysed, and the results of which implicate the Leyson family and Jenkins, according to the prosecution, and Coleman’s DNA was found on items in the suitcase and on the bands holding the cash together.
Officers returned to the farm on November 29 last year and arrested the Leysons and Jenkins.
At trial, Stephen Leyson denied the handgun was his, adding he “intended to hand it in to the police”. He also said he had “no knowledge” of the cocaine, and that the cannabis was for his own personal use. He and his wife claimed the £17,190 in cash that was seized was from “a house sale”.
Speaking at the sentencing hearing, Mr Davis said police attended the address on Vetch Close as the second raid on the farm was conducted.
There, Coleman was asked if there were any drugs in the property, to which he said just in one room – where there were three cannabis plants and a wrap of amphetamine.
Calver-Roberts, who was in a relationship with Coleman at the time, walked in to the bedroom, and Coleman shouted at her to “take the rap for the drugs” as he was subject to a suspended sentence order.
Coleman was arrested and their phones were seized. Calver-Roberts was arrested on March 22 after examination of their phones showed they had been selling cannabis and cocaine.
David Leathley said Steven Leyson, who he represented, maintained there was no evidence that he had not found the gun and was going to hand it in to the police.
Mr Leathley said his client “had been suffering from mental health difficulties at the time of the offences”, and was a “hopeless cocaine user”, but had now kicked the habit.
Samson Leyson, his barrister Kevin Seal said, was not at the farm during the week, so did not have the same role in the operation as his parents.
He said Leyson, who was a promising boxer, would use his time in custody “to his benefit” and would “seek out [the support] which is available to him”.
James Hartson, representing Jenkins, argued – with his client’s permission – that he should receive an immediate prison sentence.
He said Jenkins’ time on remand had alleviated “any concerns previously stated about alcohol or drugs”, and that Jenkins had “become a mentor” in prison and “spent most of his time in the workshop leaning multi-skills that would allow for him to return to legitimate employment upon his release”.
Hannah George, for Coleman, said: “The defendant experienced a traumatic event that led to him using drugs and being in debt. That debt spiralled out of control.”
She said she became involved in the Leysons’ operation to work off that debt.
Stephen Leyson, 55, was jailed for 11 years for conspiracy to supply cocaine, and received concurrent sentences of seven years for possession of the firearm, four years for conspiracy to supply cannabis, and 12 months for possession of criminal property.
His son, 24-year-old Samson Leyson, was handed a six-year sentence conspiracy to supply cocaine, and 18 months, running concurrently, for conspiracy to supply cannabis.
Having previously pleaded guilty, Ritchie Coleman, 33, of Vetch Close in Pembroke, was jailed for two years and four months to conspiracy to supply cocaine, and one year, concurrent, for conspiracy to supply cannabis. He received no separate penalty for producing cannabis and possessing amphetamine.
Andrew Jenkins, 51, of North Hill Road in Mount Pleasant, was jailed for nine months for conspiracy to supply cannabis. He has been in prison since the start of December, so will be released and will serve the rest of his sentence on licence in the community.
Emma Calver-Roberts, 32, also of Vetch Close, had previously admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis. She appeared alongside her co-defendants, but her sentence was adjourned until August 25 for the completion of a pre-sentence report.
Lynne Leyson, 52, did not show up at court. She had been found guilty by a jury of conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis, and possessing criminal property.
A bench warrant was issued for her arrest.
Dyfed-Powys Police senior investigating officer DCI Rhys Jones said: “We welcome today’s sentencing which is the result of a lengthy and intensive investigation, and I would like to thank all the officers and support staff involved for their perseverance and commitment to the case.
“The Leyson family are an organised crime group who tried to make a quick buck by selling large quantities of cocaine and cannabis to sub dealers across south west Wales.
“We hope this case sends a clear message that we are continuously working to disrupt the supply of illegal substances in our force area and will prosecute anyone who tries to spread their misery through our communities for financial gain.
“We would like to reassure the public that we will continue to act on any information received about the supply of drugs.”
A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing will be held in November.
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