Jake Thomas Kiernan, Jamie Steele and Nicholas Reynolds (Image: North Wales Police)
Last Updated: 52 minutes ago
Three members of a criminal network responsible for flooding Denbighshire with Class A and B drugs will spend significantly longer in prison after their original sentences were deemed too lenient.
Operation Scarab
North Wales Police dismantled the gang through a major investigation known as Operation Scarab, which tracked the group’s activities between July and December 2024. Officers deployed covert methods and surveillance to build a detailed picture of the network’s day-to-day operations.
The raids
In early December 2024, police raided a property in Denbighshire believed to have been used as a stash house for the conspiracy. A separate raid in Rhyl led to the seizure of 1.3 kilograms of cocaine and 1.6 kilograms of ketamine – drugs later found to be of high purity with a combined estimated street value exceeding £160,000.
The network
Gang leader Jake Kiernan, 33, of Clos Elwy, Towyn, had been using his legitimate Fuel Bar smoothie and takeaway business in Rhyl to launder the proceeds of the operation. He was among 11 people sentenced last year for their roles in the large-scale supply network.
Original sentences
Kiernan was jailed for eight years and seven months for conspiring to supply cocaine, with concurrent four-year terms for conspiracy to supply Class B drugs. Jamie Steele, 33, of Bridge Street, Rhyl, received six years for conspiring to supply cocaine alongside concurrent terms of two years and eight months for Class B drug supply conspiracies. Nicholas Reynolds, 54, of Clos David Owen, Rhuddlan, was handed seven years for conspiring to supply cocaine with concurrent terms for Class B offences.
Court of Appeal
North Wales Police challenged the sentences as unduly lenient. On March 19, the Court of Appeal agreed and increased the terms for all three ringleaders. Kiernan must now serve 10 years and eight months, Steele’s sentence was raised to seven years and four months, and Reynolds will serve nine years. Six other gang members did not have their sentences increased, while two others were not part of the appeal.
Detective Inspector Griffiths, Head of the force’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said: “I welcome the decision of the Court as this was a detailed and intensive investigation, drawing heavily on the specialist skills of a large team of officers working within our Serious and Organised Crime team.
“Tackling drug supply will remain a high priority for North Wales Police and we hope these sentences will provide reassurance to the public that we are committed to keeping our communities safe.”
