A TAXI driver and his passenger have been jailed after being caught smuggling a kilogram of cocaine into Pembrokeshire. Police stopped their vehicle on the Cleddau Bridge, where the pair tried—but failed—to ditch a “bag for life” stuffed with the Class A drug.

Pajtim Meta and Albert Nikolla, both 26, were ferrying the cocaine from Northampton to Milford Haven when Dyfed-Powys Police intercepted their run as part of a wider crackdown on drug trafficking in west Wales.

Nikolla, from Plough Way, London, admitted possession with intent to supply cocaine, being concerned in its supply, and a separate charge of cocaine possession in London in June 2023.

Meta, of Ruskin Road, Northampton, denied all involvement but was found guilty by a jury after just 50 minutes of deliberation.

Nikolla’s troubles began in June 2023 when London police spotted him behaving suspiciously in his car. A search revealed 37 wraps of cocaine worth up to £1,850.

But the duo’s real downfall came on January 18, 2024. During a routine stop near the Cleddau Bridge, Nikolla fled Meta’s taxi, discarding a bag that police recovered. Inside was a 1kg block of cocaine with a street value of up to £85,800.

Meta initially claimed he was an innocent cabbie who didn’t know Nikolla or even the area. However, ANPR records showed Meta’s taxi had made nine trips between Northampton and Milford Haven. Confronted with the evidence, he admitted transporting Nikolla but claimed he lied to avoid a long sentence.

Nikolla’s barrister, Matthew Murphy, argued his client—a trained vet from Albania—was coerced into drug dealing by the criminal network that smuggled him into the UK.

Meta’s lawyer, Llewellyn Culver-Evans, said his client, a hardworking taxi driver since 2018, was of good character and determined to turn his life around.

Nikolla was sentenced to four years and three months, including time for the London charges. Meta received five years for his role in the operation.

Both men are now behind bars, their plot to flood Pembrokeshire with cocaine brought to an end.

A PEMBROKESHIRE man is in custody awaiting sentencing at Crown Court for the sexual assault of a boy under the age of 13.

Jake Roberts, 22, of no fixed abode in Cilgerran, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on January 13. He entered an indicated guilty plea to the charge of sexually assaulting a boy under 13 by touching, contrary to Section 7 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

The offences occurred on at least two occasions between January 1, 2021, and January 11, 2025. The court heard that the touching was both intentional and sexual.

Due to the severity of the offence, Roberts’ previous criminal record, and the likelihood of reoffending, the magistrates committed him to custody. He will appear for sentencing at Swansea Crown Court on February 3.

THE PROPOSED precept for Dyfed Powys Police will be put under scrutiny at the first meeting of the Dyfed Powys Police and Crime Panel in 2025.

Panel members will meet on Friday 24 January 2025 at County Hall in Haverfordwest to discuss the precept and challenge Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn on his budget plans for the coming year.

The panel, made up of members nominated by the four councils in the force area plus two independent members, has the power to approve or veto the proposed police precept.

Local policing is funded from a Home Office grant, as well as contributions from the public via the Council Tax, known as the police precept.

During the meeting Mr Llywelyn will inform the panel of the findings of a recent public consultation on police funding.

Panel Chair, Professor Ian Roffe, said: “As a Police and Crime Panel, it is our role to scrutinise the Police and Crime Commissioner’s proposed precept to ensure that his financial budget is balanced and appropriate to serve the communities of Carmarthenshire, Powys, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion. We are all acutely aware of the financial pressure upon households and it is incredibly important, therefore, that the Police and Crime Panel seek assurances that any increase in residents’ taxes reflect good value for their money.”

Visit www.dppoliceandcrimepanel.wales for more information about the Panel, its membership, forthcoming meeting dates, agendas and webcasting links, as well as submitting questions for the Panel to put to the Commissioner.

Questions can be submitted online, or in writing at [email protected] at least 10 days before a meeting.