Seven men - including one from Pwllheli - have been jailed for attempting to smuggle large quantities of cocaine into the UK with a street value of £44-64 million.

Officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) investigated and disrupted the criminal activities of Stephen Lawlor, Daniel Bowen, Stephen Lock, Reiss Stanley, Kieran Farrell, Sean Feenan and Thomas Walker, resulting in the group being sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on Friday, 12 September.

They received a combined sentence of over 92 years’ imprisonment after attempting to smuggle cocaine from a container ship in the English Channel using a 13-metre rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB).

On the evening of 8 July 2024, police received a report of suspicious activity involving a RHIB and a van near a block of flats on the River Itchen in Southampton. Response officers intercepted the van fleeing the scene, driven by Reiss Stanley, and discovered approximately 150kg of cocaine inside. Further quantities were found on the RHIB. In total, officers seized over 600kg of cocaine.

Following the seizure, an investigation was launched. Using data recovered from Stanley’s mobile phone, officers were able to identify and link the other individuals involved in the operation and identify their roles.

The offenders all pleaded guilty to all the charges against them.

The following were each convicted of one count of conspiracy to import cocaine into the UK, and one count of conspiracy to supply it. Their sentences are:

• Stephen Lawlor, 39, of Mayswood Road, Solihull, 16 years and six months.

• Daniel Bowen, 41, of Stratford Road, Solihull, 15 years.

• Stephen Lock, 42, of Fieldhouse Road, Birmingham, 13 years and six months.

• Reiss Stanley, 30, of Gaydon Road, Solihull, 10 years and eight months.

• Kieran Farrell, 30, of Tower Croft, Solihull, 12 years. Farrell was also sentenced to an additional four months’ imprisonment for driving while disqualified, to be served concurrently. He was further disqualified from driving for a period of seven years.

The following offenders were each convicted of one count of conspiracy to import cocaine into the UK. Their sentences are as follows:

• Sean Feenan, 43, of no fixed abode, 10 years and two months.

• Thomas Walker, 33, of Abererch Road, Pwllheli, 14 years and three months.

Lock, Stanley, Farrell and Walker were charged with the offences in July 2024, with Lawlor, Bowen and Feenan charged the following month.

Investigating officer DC Alastair Charnley, said: “These are significant sentences for seven individuals who showed no regard for the harm and devastation caused by cocaine, and were driven purely by the pursuit of profit.

“Cocaine remains one of the most destructive illegal drugs in the UK, contributing to thousands of deaths and driving violent crime that tears apart communities and lives.

“Working together with officers from Hampshire & IoW Constabulary, SEROCU stopped cocaine worth millions from arriving onto UK streets, and ensured that the group behind its importation faced justice.

“We’ll continue to work relentlessly with our partners to tackle this type of crime and protect our communities from the harm they cause.”