Lisa Regan and Phillip Jones (Image: South Wales Police)
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A man and woman who were jailed for running a large-scale cocaine operation have been hit with orders to repay some of their criminal earnings and will face strict conditions upon their release from prison.
Proceeds of crime
Lisa Regan and Phillip Jones appeared at Swansea Crown Court this week for a financial hearing following an investigation into the profits generated by their drug dealing. The court was told both defendants had each benefited by £889,871 through their offending – but only a small fraction of that sum could be traced in available assets.
Regan, 53, of St Cenydd Road, Portmead, Swansea, was ordered to pay £4,851, while Jones, 44, of Llangyfelach Road, Brynhyfryd, Swansea, was ordered to hand over £17,803. Both amounts relate to cash already held by police.
Serious crime prevention orders
Both defendants were also made subject to serious crime prevention orders lasting five years, to begin from the date each is released from custody.
The operation
The former spouses had been supplying significant quantities of cocaine to a network of street-level dealers operating across Swansea and the Amman Valley. They funnelled the profits through a cafe in the Blaenymaes area of the city in an effort to disguise the source of their income.
Their operation unravelled when Regan was escorted off a flight as she arrived back in the UK.
Sentencing
In December, both were sentenced at Swansea Crown Court after being convicted of being concerned in the supply of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to supply, and concealing criminal property. Regan received seven years and four months’ imprisonment and Jones was handed six years and eight months.
Following sentencing, South Wales Police said the pair had believed they were “above the law” and that their removal from society “has made our streets far safer and better off.”
