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Crime

Pair jailed after major cocaine seizure in south Wales

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TWO men have been handed lengthy prison sentences after officers from Tarian – the Regional Organised Crime Unit for southern Wales – caught them in the act of a drug exchange, uncovering large quantities of cocaine bound for the streets.

On June 9, 2024, Tarian officers observed 50-year-old Lee Ruggles and 21-year-old Kian Piyadasa meeting in Swansea, where a package was passed between their vehicles. Ruggles got out of his Ford Focus, walked to a BMW, and handed a package through the window to Piyadasa before returning to his car.

Ruggles was stopped by police as he drove eastbound on the M4. Piyadasa was stopped separately in Swansea, where officers found a key to a third vehicle. Significant quantities of cocaine were recovered from the Ford Focus and the third vehicle, with Piyadasa also carrying a zip-lock bag of the drug on him.

Mobile phone downloads showed messages between the pair consistent with large-scale supply.

The two men were sentenced yesterday at Swansea Crown Court, following earlier guilty pleas.

  • Lee Ruggles, of Barking, London, received nine years and nine months for conspiring to supply cocaine.
  • Kian Piyadasa, of Birchgrove, Swansea, was jailed for ten years and eight months for the same offence.

A Tarian ROCU spokesperson said: “The sentences today should serve as a warning to others engaging in similar criminality. Those supplying drugs make considerable profits from the suffering of others, and we will continue to pursue them.”

Tarian’s work regularly targets supply routes feeding drugs into rural areas, including Pembrokeshire. While this case unfolded in Swansea, police believe seizures of this size have a direct impact on cutting off supply chains that bring class A drugs into west Wales communities.

Crime

Man charged with strangulation and assault offences after October incident

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A MAN recorded in court as having no fixed abode has appeared before magistrates charged with intentional strangulation and two further assault offences.

Michael Sudbury, 50, whose address was not read out in court, but in Herald records is Glan Hafan, Llangwm, appeared before the bench facing multiple charges.

The charges relate to an incident on 22 October 2025 and include:

  • Intentional strangulation, contrary to section 75A of the Serious Crime Act 2015
  • Common assault
  • Assault by beating

No further details of the alleged incident were opened in court, and no plea was entered at this stage.

Sudbury was remanded on conditional bail, with the case listed to return to magistrates later this month.

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Crime

Haverfordwest man sent to Crown Court on multiple serious charges

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Defendant remanded in custody

A HAVERFORDWEST man has been sent to Swansea Crown Court to stand trial on a series of A 49-year-old Haverfordwest resident has been committed to Swansea Crown Court to face trial on multiple serious charges deemed too grave for magistrates to handle.

David Guy, of Market Street, Haverfordwest, appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates facing a series of allegations stemming from a single case. The charges, which were not detailed in open court, include:

  • Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
  • A second count of assault
  • Criminal damage
  • An additional allegation of interpersonal violence
  • A public order offence

Magistrates declined jurisdiction, determining that the matters exceeded their sentencing powers, and sent the case in its entirety to Swansea Crown Court.

Guy was remanded in custody pending his next appearance. The court register notes: “Sent to Crown Court for trial in custody – next hearing at Swansea Crown Court.”

A date for the initial Crown Court hearing will be set administratively. Guy will remain in custody until then.

The Pembrokeshire Herald will provide further updates as the case progresses in the Crown Court.

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Crime

Castlemartin man back before magistrates over multiple alleged assaults

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Defendant remanded on conditional bail ahead of further hearing

A CASTLEMARTIN man has appeared repeatedly before magistrates this month over a string A 40-year-old man from Castlemartin has made repeated appearances before magistrates this month in connection with a series of serious alleged offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), intentional non-fatal strangulation, common assault, and criminal damage.

Anthony Alcock, of Pwll Street, Castlemartin, is facing six linked charges stemming from incidents said to have occurred earlier this year. These appear to relate to the same complainant in what is understood to be a single ongoing domestic abuse prosecution.

During recent administrative hearings at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court, Alcock did not enter pleas while matters of bail and case management were addressed.

Charges Include:

  • Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
  • Intentional non-fatal strangulation
  • Common assault on a woman
  • Criminal damage in a domestic context
  • Additional assault allegations involving the same complainant
  • Breach of bail conditions

Alcock was initially granted conditional bail but was subsequently brought before the court on two occasions for alleged breaches. On those instances, magistrates remanded him in custody ahead of further hearings. He was later re-granted conditional bail, subject to strict conditions such as no contact with the complainant and exclusion from specified locations.

Magistrates have now declined jurisdiction, ruling that the case—particularly the more serious charges involving non-fatal strangulation—is too grave for summary trial. It has been committed to Swansea Crown Court for plea, trial, or sentencing.

No detailed evidence has been presented in open court at this preliminary stage. Alcock remains on conditional bail pending his next appearance at the Crown Court.

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