Heroin and cocaine worth £64m recovered from Deeside farm after the UK’s largest seizure of Class A drugs

An organised crime gang (OCG) involved in the importation of over two tonnes of Class A drugs with an estimated street value of more £250 million have been jailed today following an investigation by detectives at the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU).

The four men connected to the plot, Luke Hirst, 37, of Deeside, Guy Remington, 48, from Hereford, Thomas Smith, 41, from Liverpool, and Morgan Towner, 47, of Leatherhead in Surrey were given prison sentences totalling 55 years at Chester Crown Court

Remington imported the drugs from Europe through the Channel Tunnel by hiding them in secret compartments in a trailer and took them to Hirst’s farm, Tirlas Goch, Pinfold Lane, Alltami.

There, the drugs were parcelled up separately and taken away to be distributed throughout the UK.

Hirst would meet his customers at a nearby service station or on Pinfold Lane, then take their cars to his property, where he would fill them with drugs before giving their vehicles back to them, all to conceal the location of his farm.

Smith, a Class A drug dealer based in Liverpool, collected the drugs from the farm for onward distribution through his network of suppliers.

Towner transported drugs from the farm down to the south of England using a van with a hidden compartment designed to conceal the drugs.

But it was after Remington’s ninth and final drug run to Europe that the OCG came crashing down.

Police intervened on 20 September 2023 as he was removing the drugs from his trailer at Hirsts farm, ending their multi-million pounds drugs empire.

He was arrested at the scene and taken into custody.

Following an extensive search of Hirst’s farm, NWROCU officers seized £183,865 cash from Remington’s vehicle, 505kg of cocaine, and 108kg of heroin with an estimated street value of over £64 million were recovered.

Luke Hirst was arrested later that day in the back of a taxi in Mold.

Searches of a number of Remington’s business premises on the same day led to the recovery of more than £700,000 in cash, numerous vehicles, as well as other high value assets.

On 18 October 2023, NWROCU officers arrested Thomas Smith at his home address in Liverpool.

Officers seized half a kilo of cocaine and 9807 MDMA tablets, with a street value of up to £167,000 and approximately £16,000 cash.

They also recovered a notepad containing extensive records of his onward supply network.

On 26 October 2023, a search warrant was carried out at Station Road, Leatherhead which led to the arrest of Morgan Towner, who acted as a courier for an OCG based in the South of England.

Appearing before Chester Crown Court for sentencing today, Thursday March 21, Hirst of Pinfold Lane, Flintshire pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine/ heroin) was jailed for 12 years.

He played a leading role in the organised crime group, sourcing and distributing multi-kilo amounts of cocaine on an industrial scale.

Remington of Welsh Bicknor, Herefordshire who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import and supply Class A drugs (cocaine/ heroin) was jailed for 7 years.

He played a key role in the conspiracy, travelling to Europe where he would collect cocaine and heroin before importing back to the UK to his associates for onward supply.

Remington used his businesses as a cover for travel in and out of the UK to evade police.

Smith of Garrowby Drive, Liverpool pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine/ heroin), possession with intent to supply a Class A controlled drug, and possession of Class B controlled drug (cannabis) and was jailed for 18 years.

He was a leading member of the OCG, making regular trips to Hirst’s Farm to collect huge quantities of Class A drugs which he would take back to Liverpool for onward distribution.

[Photo: CPS]

Towner of Station Road, Leatherhead pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine/ heroin) and was jailed for 7 years.

He would make trips to Hirst’s farm to collect Class A drugs which he would then take back to Surrey for onward supply.

Speaking after the sentencing, a NWROCU spokesperson from the Operations Team said:

“The offenders in this case were involved in a sophisticated criminal operation to import a significant amount of cocaine into the UK.

“Unfortunately for them, despite trying to evade law enforcement by using concealments in their trailer, we were watching their every move before moving in to arrest them.

“This is without doubt the biggest drugs seizure we have had at the NWROCU and our officers have worked tirelessly to ensure these offenders face the consequences of their crimes.”

“We estimate this group imported between two and three tonnes of Class A drugs into the country over a four month period, with a street value of several hundred million pounds, I’ve no doubt that had we not have intervened, they would have continued to import more.”

“Here at the NWROCU we continue to work with our local forces and partners to ensure that no stone goes unturned in our pursuit of people who think they are above the law. I’d like to thank North Wales, Cheshire, and Merseyside Police for their support during this investigation.”

Senior Crown Prosecutor Nicola Wyn Williams of CPS Mersey-Cheshire’s Complex Casework Unit 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.

[Remington and Hirst]

“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 defendant Remington had left the UK on 18 September 2023, it was believed that he would return in possession of Class A drugs.

[Smith and Towner]

“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.”