Castle Inn fun runners back festive charity event

THE ANNUAL 3 Amigos Christmas toy bike run is under way this afternoon (Saturday), with hundreds of motorcyclists setting off from Pembroke to raise funds for children’s services.

Riders gathered at The Commons car park in Pembroke from around midday before departing shortly after 1:00pm. The festive convoy is travelling along its traditional route, taking in Pembroke Dock and continuing through parts of the county including Neyland, Milford Haven and Haverfordwest.

The event is organised by the 3 Amigos and Dollies Motorcycle Group and has become a much-anticipated Christmas tradition in west Wales, with toys and donations collected for children receiving care within the Hywel Dda University Health Board area.

Also supporting the event are fun runners from the Castle Inn in Pembroke, who have been fundraising in aid of the 3 Amigos. The group are pictured alongside participants from today’s run.

The 3 Amigos have been raising funds for children’s wards and health charities for more than twenty-five years, with their Easter and Christmas events continuing to make a positive difference to young patients and their families.

Organisers have thanked the public for their support and asked road users to be mindful of the large convoy as it passes through towns and villages this afternoon.

Photo caption:
Festive fundraising: Fun runners from the Castle Inn, Pembroke, pictured supporting the 3 Amigos Christmas toy bike run (Pic: Martin Cavaney/Herald)

Sentencing delayed as judge considers scale of long-running Pembrokeshire scam

A PAIR of rogue Pembrokeshire traders had more than £2.7 million pass through their bank accounts while operating what a judge described as a sophisticated fraudulent roofing business.

Thomas James, aged 38, and Jim Janes, aged 55, appeared at Swansea Crown Court on Friday (Dec 12) in connection with a Narberth-based roofing scam which spanned several years.

The court heard that over a five-year period the men ran a business which prosecutors said was fundamentally dishonest, with more than £500,000 believed to have been taken from customers through fraudulent work.

In remarks made during the hearing, the judge said the case went beyond dishonest trading, describing the defendants as builders who were not only dishonest but also incapable of carrying out the work they claimed to offer.

Expert evidence presented to the court showed the pair were unable to deliver the standard of work promised, with no credible evidence of satisfied customers. Large sums of money were seen flowing through their accounts, which the judge said demonstrated unlawful trading rather than legitimate business activity.

“This was not a case of people trying and failing to run an honest business,” the judge said. “It was a sophisticated operation set up to defraud customers.”

It was agreed that more than £500,000 had been generated from dishonest elements of the work carried out.

In mitigation, defence counsel said there had been some legitimate trading and that personal circumstances had contributed to a decline in standards. The court was told that not every job undertaken was fraudulent and that both men had accepted responsibility.

However, the judge raised concerns about how best to sentence the defendants given there are two separate indictments relating to the proceeds of the scam. Apologising to victims, the judge said the case could not be concluded on the day.

Sentencing was adjourned to Wednesday (Dec 17) at 2:00pm.

The Pembrokeshire Herald has been following this case for several months. It has been before the courts on several occasions this year.

At an earlier hearing at Swansea Crown Court in August, the court was told that the investigation into James and Janes had identified dozens of alleged victims across Pembrokeshire and west Wales.

Prosecutors said homeowners were persuaded to pay large sums upfront for roofing and construction work which was either left incomplete or carried out to a dangerously poor standard, in some cases leaving properties damaged.

During those proceedings, it was alleged that around forty victims had already been identified, with investigators warning the true number could be significantly higher as enquiries continued.

A separate but linked case could bring the total number of alleged victims to 140, making this the largest case of its type in Wales.

The prosecutions have been led by National Trading Standards Investigations Team (Wales) based at Newport City Council

The court previously heard that the men had handled criminal proceeds running into tens of thousands of pounds and that further victims could yet come forward.

The Herald understands that the scale of the operation, the movement of money through multiple accounts, and the long duration of the offending are all factors being considered ahead of sentencing later this month.

Family-run drugs enterprise brought in millions before police raid during lockdown

A FAMILY who relocated from England to a remote Carmarthenshire farm ran a highly organised cannabis production operation worth millions of pounds before it was uncovered by police.

Edward McCann, aged 66, his wife Linda, aged 63, and their son Daniel, aged 41, were jailed after admitting their roles in what prosecutors described as one of the most sophisticated cannabis factories ever uncovered in Wales.

The operation was based at Blaenllain Farm, near Whitland, where the family had moved from Portsmouth. Although the property appeared to be an ordinary agricultural holding, locals became suspicious after extensive security fencing, CCTV systems and a lack of any livestock raised questions.

Police eventually raided the site during the Covid lockdown in October 2020, discovering a large-scale drugs factory operating from a converted barn.

Inside, officers found six purpose-built growing rooms containing cannabis plants at different stages of development. Upstairs areas were being used to dry harvested plants, while ovens were used to process cannabis resin and manufacture cannabis-infused products, including chocolate bars.

Investigators later estimated that the operation had generated around £3.5 million over a five-year period.

Two men had also been recruited to help maintain the crop. Justin Liles, aged 22, from St Clears, and Jack Whittock, aged 30, from Narberth, were found working on the site at the time of the raid and were later jailed for their involvement.

Edward McCann was arrested at the farmhouse, while Daniel McCann — who owned the property but was living in Hampshire — was later arrested in Portsmouth in February 2021.

During sentencing at Swansea Crown Court, the judge rejected Edward McCann’s earlier claim that the cannabis was largely for personal medical use following a leukaemia diagnosis. The court heard that electricity had been illegally drawn from the National Grid to power high-intensity lighting and ventilation systems required for large-scale cultivation.

Judge Geraint Walters said the operation had been so extensive that it was unlikely to escape notice indefinitely, noting that the unusual security measures and lack of farming activity would have drawn attention in an agricultural area.

The cannabis plants seized during the raid were valued at up to £460,000, with finished products weighing around 80 kilograms and worth as much as £1.5 million.

Edward McCann was sentenced to seven years and seven months in prison, Daniel McCann received eight and a half years, and Linda McCann was jailed for six years and seven months. Liles was sentenced to 22 months, while Whittock received two years and ten months.

At a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing, the court heard that Edward McCann had personally benefited by almost £1.8 million. He was ordered to repay £340,000 within three months or face an additional four years in prison. Daniel McCann was given the same repayment order and penalty.

Linda McCann, said to have profited by £1.45 million, was ordered to repay £335,000 or face a further three years behind bars.

The court was told that failure to pay would not cancel the financial obligations, even if additional prison sentences were served. Further hearings are continuing to determine confiscation orders for the two hired workers.