North East Wales ‘A Far Safer Place’ As Members Of Wrexham Crime Gang Jailed

Members of an ‘organised crime gang’ from Wrexham have today been jailed for over 55 years.

Earlier today 10 men and one woman, all from the Wrexham area, were sentenced at Mold Crown Court for a number of firearms, violence and drug related crimes.

As part of North Wales Police continued campaign under Operation Scorpion to tackle serious and organised crime head on, the Wrexham based OCG (Organised Crime Gang) had been targeted by detectives over the last two years.

In total the 11 received more than 56 years imprisonment; the most significant being gang leader 45 year old William Michael (Billy) Smith who was sentenced to 14 years.

Other sentences included:

– Trevor Daniel Jones, 32 from Wrexham, 8 years
– Patryk Dziewiatkowski, 21 from Chirk, 10 years
– Ronnie Williams, 24 from Wrexham, 7 years
– Harry Williams, 21 from Penycae, 5 years
– Nathan Richards, 26 from Ponciau, 4 years
– Daniel Michael John Goodwin, 24 from Chirk, 2 years
– Andrew Owen, 31 from Rhostyllen, 18 months
– Ricky Lee Jones, 27 from Penycae ,2 years
– Jack Kenneth Pritchard, 24 from Wrexham, 12 months suspended for 2 years
– Natalie Jayne Edwards, 34 from Wrexham, 2 years

The news has been welcomed by North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones, who said: “I am extremely pleased that this dangerous criminal gang has been put behind bars.

“It is a superb result for North Wales Police and I would like to congratulate the officers concerned for their dedication and commitment.

“They are to be commended for their exemplary covert investigation which gathered the necessary evidence about the serious crimes they had committed

“As a result, North East Wales is now a safer place and the case has sent out a strong message that criminals will be brought to book and punished severely. The sentences will act as a proper deterrent.”

Detective Inspector Arwyn Jones the Senior Investigating Officer North Wales Police added: “The communities of North East Wales are far safer places now that Smith and his thugs are behind bars. This has been a protracted, complex and sometimes distressing investigation into the activities of an organised crime group and the violence, fear and misery they have inflicted.

“This criminal gang contained a number of violent individuals who would use and threaten violence as part of their criminality.

“However, the communities in which they operated were not prepared to tolerate this behaviour. I am grateful for their support and encouragement and I’m sure the sentencing will bring a huge sense of relief locally.

“It’s also another excellent example of how we can work with the community and together rid our streets of this plague. All it takes is a phone call to provide us with that one piece of information that will crack a case.

“The investigation into serious and organised crime groups in our communities will continue and if you can help contact North Wales Police on 101 or alternatively via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”