A quiet Welsh farm was at the heart of a sophisticated drug smuggling and dealing operation which saw tens of millions of pounds worth of Class A drugs shipped into the UK. Police seized heroin and cocaine worth an estimated £64m when they swooped on the remote property, the biggest ever haul of its kind the UK.
The farm was being used as a storage and distribution hub by an organised crime group that was smuggling the drugs into the UK through the Channel Tunnel using secret compartments in a trailer. Four men have been jailed for a total of 55 years for their parts in the operation.
Speaking after the sentencing, senior crown prosecutor Nicola Wyn Williams said the drugs operation had been carried out with “precision and planning” and said it was “possibly the last thing that you could imagine happening at a farm in rural north Wales”. The prosecutor said the quiet location of the farm and the nearby A55 express road were the keys to the gang’s “slick” operation.
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On September 20 last year police swooped on Tirlas Goch farm in Deeside and arrested the owner, Luke Hirst. Also at the rural property was Guy Remington who had just returned from continental Europe with a consignment of drugs. Intelligence showed that between May and September 2023 Remington had made nine such trips to Europe via the Channel Tunnel bringing back millions of pounds worth of cocaine and heroin hidden inside secret compartments in a trailer. Tirlas Goch was used by the gang to store and re-package the drugs which were then sent out around the UK with Liverpool-based drug dealer Thomas Smith using his network of downstream dealers and suppliers, and Morgan Towner using a van with hidden compartments to transport the merchandise. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here
Remington, aged 48, of Hereford, had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import and supply Class A drugs, and Hirst, aged 37, of Deeside; Smith, aged 41, of Liverpool; and 47-year-old Towner of Leatherhead in Surrey had previously pleaded guilty conspiracy to supply Class A drugs when they all returned to the dock of Chester Crown Court for sentencing. Smith had also pleaded guilty to possession of MDMA with intent to supply. Remington and Smith were both sentenced to a total of 18 years in prison, Hirst to 12 years, and Towner to seven years.
Senior crown prosecutor Nicola Wyn Williams said: “This was a slick operation carried out with precision and planning. It is possibly the last thing that you could imagine happening at a farm in rural north Wales. But that was the key. The rural location provided privacy for the group to unload the huge quantities of heroin and cocaine stashed in a hide in the trailer. The nearby A55 and motorway network allowed couriers to collect and be on their way to distribute the drugs for onward supply all over the country.
“Once it was known that the defendant Remington had left the UK on 18 September 2023, it was believed that he would return in possession of Class A drugs. The Crown Prosecution Service worked with officers from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit as they intervened and arrested those involved at or near the farm. Others were arrested on later dates. In the face of overwhelming evidence, all those charged have pleaded guilty and the sentences today reflect the scale and sophistication of the operation and should act as a deterrent to those involved in the importation and supply of Class A drugs.”
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William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
