Cardiff, Newport and MountainAsh drug dealers have been jailed for a total of almost 50 years.
Officers from Tarian, the regional organised crime team for southern Wales, supported by South Wales Police, uncovered a substantial amount of evidence of a large-scale cocaine and heroin network dealing throughout Wales run by Nicholas Gale, 31, and his close associates.
Gale used encrypted messaging platforms to speak to both his suppliers and customer base to organise the purchasing and supplying of drugs. He was supported by Spencer Perks, 42, and courier Jamie Christopher, 22. Jake Garland, 28, was a customer of Nicholas Gale, who had his own wholesale cocaine distribution network.
On 14 July 2022, Gale sent messages on the encrypted platforms to arrange for the collection of wholesale amounts of high-purity cocaine. Perks collected 18 kilos of cocaine from Gale’s supplier, which was then distributed between Garland and Christopher.
On the same day, police arrested Gale, Perks and Christopher and officers seized 12 kilos of cocaine, cash and counting machine, a device with the encrypted messages thereon, an instruction note outlining drug amounts for customers with postcodes and encrypted chat groups for Christopher to distribute cocaine on behalf of Gale.
