Eight members of an organised crime group have been sentenced after a major police investigation dismantled a large-scale cocaine and cannabis supply network operating across North Wales. The gang, which trafficked Class A and Class B drugs throughout Gwynedd and Anglesey, received combined prison sentences and suspended terms following the conclusion of Operation Macondo – an eight-month investigation led by North Wales Police. Seven members of the group appeared at Mold Crown Court for sentencing on Monday 20 July, while an eighth defendant had already been sentenced on 9 June. Collectively, the gang received prison and suspended sentences amounting to more than 28 years.
Eight-month investigation
The investigation began after detectives uncovered evidence of an organised crime group supplying significant quantities of cocaine and cannabis across North Wales between February and November 2025. A series of arrests followed in November and December 2025 as officers executed coordinated warrants across North Wales, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.
Cash, drugs and luxury assets seized
On 10 November, officers stopped a vehicle travelling from Anglesey to Merseyside being driven by Joseph McCormick, where they recovered £20,000 in cash. The same day, officers searched the home of Gareth Trevor Rowlands, uncovering £90,000 in cash along with £120,000 worth of criminally acquired luxury assets. Four days later, police stopped another vehicle in Greater Manchester being driven by Steven Powell. A search uncovered three kilograms of cannabis, valued at around £28,000. Officers later searched Powell’s home, where they recovered two kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value of up to £120,000. Further coordinated warrants on 9 December resulted in the arrest of 10 people and the seizure of an additional £9,000 in cash. In total, investigators recovered substantial quantities of Class A and Class B drugs, cash and luxury assets worth almost £390,000.
Sentences handed down
The sentences imposed were:
- Gareth Trevor Rowlands, 52, of Trem Eryri, Llanfairpwll – 11 years and three months for conspiracy to supply cocaine, conspiracy to supply cannabis and possession of criminal property.
- Steven Powell, 62, of Cromwell Street, Stockport – 10 years for conspiracy to supply cocaine and conspiracy to supply cannabis.
- Darren Horton, 54, of Tyddyn Mostyn, Menai Bridge – three years and seven months for conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis.
- Steven Williams, 34, of Ffordd Ysgubor Goch, Caernarfon – three years and two months for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
- Joseph McCormick, 34, of Johnston Avenue, Bootle – 12-month suspended sentence for conspiracy to supply cocaine, conspiracy to supply cannabis, possession of MDMA and possession of criminal property.
- Craig Harris, 52, of Lon Dryll, Llanfairpwll – nine-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months for conspiracy to supply cannabis.
- Dennis Edwards, 22, of Marl Crescent, Llandudno Junction – sentenced on 9 June to two years and three months, suspended for three years, for conspiracy to supply cannabis and possession of criminal property.
- Dafydd Hughes, 31, of Port Terrace, Y Felinheli – three-year suspended sentence for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
Major blow to organised crime
Police said Operation Macondo had dismantled a significant drugs network operating across North Wales and removed large quantities of illegal drugs, criminal cash and high-value assets from circulation. The investigation forms part of the force’s ongoing efforts to target organised crime groups responsible for supplying illegal drugs and profiting from criminal activity across the region.
