Ex-Welsh rugby security guard jailed 12 years for drugs

A man who claimed to have worked as a security guard for the Welsh rugby team has been jailed for 12 years after being unmasked as a vital link in a major cocaine supply chain.

Daniel Grzech used his day job as a delivery driver to mask his illicit activities, ferrying drugs and cash across the UK during the pandemic when cocaine prices soared due to supply shortages.

Cardiff Crown Court heard how the 44-year-old from Dinas Powys was personally responsible for distributing 14kg of cocaine, though the wider criminal network he served moved a staggering 167kg of the class A drug.

Operating under the EncroChat handle “Ferrell Bullet”, Grzech made regular trips to Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol in his own BMW, collecting narcotics and delivering large sums of cash to those higher up the chain.

Judge Eugene Egan told him: “You were a reliable go to man to those who needed a calm, competent and efficient person to do the work you did.”

The judge added: “You were a trusted courier who brought huge amounts of cocaine to South Wales and transported money. Without you, the supply chain could not have worked.”

Grzech, of Powys Place, Vale of Glamorgan, was convicted following a trial and had no previous convictions.

The court heard he was experiencing custody for the first time and had ended his relationship with his partner – with whom he’d been planning to start a family – so she could move on with her life whilst he faces an uncertain future behind bars.