Crime

Cocaine-dealing cousins jailed after police bust west Wales drug operation

Published

1 year ago

August 16, 2024

TWO cousins from Swansea have been sentenced for their roles in a cocaine-dealing operation, following a series of events that began with the keen observation of off-duty police officers. Ben Rose, 21, and Corey Jones, 20, were both apprehended after it was discovered that they were running a drug line known as the RJ line, which distributed high-purity cocaine across west Wales.

The court heard how, at the beginning of 2024, South Wales Police became aware of the RJ line operating in the city. This line was used to send bulk text messages to hundreds of recipients, advertising “fire”—a slang term for high-purity cocaine—and offering a delivery service. Despite the phone number being unregistered, data analysis revealed that it was frequently used to communicate with a large network of contacts, sometimes sending out messages to as many as 290 recipients at once.

The case against Rose and Jones began to unfold in an unexpected manner in April 2024. A group of off-duty officers from the western roads policing team were having a meal at the Turtle Bay restaurant in Swansea city centre when they noticed suspicious activity outside. A group of young people were gathered around an unregistered motorbike, and the officers, suspecting that the bike might be stolen, decided to intervene. When they approached, several of the youths attempted to flee, but the officers managed to apprehend them, including Jones, who was found to be carrying a mobile phone linked to the RJ drug line.

At first, the significance of the phone was not apparent. It was only after a detailed analysis of its contents that officers realised they had stumbled upon the nerve centre of a significant drug operation. Messages on the phone revealed the extent of the drug dealing activities, including the scale of distribution and the frequent communications between the dealers and their customers.

Further investigation linked the RJ line directly to Jones. Cell site analysis showed that Jones’ personal phone had co-located with the RJ line phone on 290 occasions between mid-February and early April 2024. Moreover, the RJ line’s SIM card had been used in Jones’ handset, providing irrefutable evidence of his involvement. It was also discovered that both the RJ line and Jones’ personal phone had been used to order taxis from his home in Mayhill and from his father’s address, further linking him to the operation.

The investigation then led police to Ben Rose, Jones’ cousin. Subscriber checks revealed that Rose had been in regular contact with both Jones and the RJ line, more frequently than with his own partner. This connection was further confirmed through data showing Rose’s phone had co-located with both the RJ line and Jones’ phone on multiple occasions. When police decided to arrest the two men on July 10, 2024, Jones was not at home, but he later surrendered himself to Swansea Central police station. Rose, who was on holiday in Turkey at the time, was arrested upon his return to the UK on July 22, 2024.

In court, it was revealed that Rose had a history of drug-related offences. In January 2022, he had been sentenced to 22 months in prison for drug trafficking and for smuggling prohibited items into HMP Parc near Bridgend. On that occasion, Rose and his accomplices had thrown socks filled with tobacco, mobile phones, chargers, drugs, and even miniature bottles of Jack Daniel’s whiskey and Smirnoff vodka over the prison wall before leading police on a high-speed chase in a stolen Range Rover. Despite this, Rose had tried to reform his life, working for his father’s scaffolding business and becoming a father himself. However, he was lured back into the world of drug dealing, a decision that would have dire consequences.

Jones, who also had a troubled past, was previously involved in the notorious Mayhill riots of March 2022. At the time, his identity was protected due to his age, but the riot was one of the most significant instances of civil disorder in Swansea in recent years. Jones had grown up in difficult circumstances, splitting his time between homes in North Wales and Swansea, and had struggled with drug addiction from a young age. His descent into dealing was driven by his need to support his cocaine habit after he lost his job.

During sentencing, Judge Paul Thomas KC addressed the defendants, emphasising that they had both known the severe consequences of getting involved in the supply of Class A drugs. He told them that they had gambled with their futures and had lost. The judge sentenced Rose to four years in prison and Jones to 28 months in a young offenders’ institution. Both will serve up to half of their sentences in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.

The judge’s remarks underscored the gravity of the cousins’ actions and the impact that their involvement in drug dealing would have not only on their own lives but also on their families and the wider community. Rose’s young son, just a year old, and Jones’ attempts at rehabilitation and education were cited as examples of how their choices had repercussions far beyond their own immediate circumstances.

In a statement, South Wales Police praised the vigilance of the off-duty officers whose intervention had led to the arrests, highlighting the importance of community awareness and the role of law enforcement in tackling drug-related crime. The RJ line, which had been a significant source of cocaine in Swansea, was effectively dismantled thanks to the officers’ actions, and the conviction of Rose and Jones was seen as a significant victory in the ongoing fight against drug trafficking in the region.

Crime

Pembroke rape investigation dropped – one suspect now facing deportation

Published

18 hours ago

December 3, 2025

Tom Sinclair

DYFED-POWYS POLICE have closed an investigation into an alleged rape and false imprisonment in Pembroke after deciding to take no further action. One of the two men originally arrested is now in immigration detention and faces deportation.

The incident took place on Main Street over the weekend of 8–9 November 2025. Police were called at 9:45am on Sunday 9 November after reports of a woman in distress. She was taken to hospital for treatment.

Two men – aged 36 and 27 – were arrested at the scene on suspicion of rape and false imprisonment. They were subsequently released on bail while enquiries continued.

On Tuesday (2 December 2025), the force announced the criminal investigation has concluded and no charges will be brought. A police spokesperson said the decision took full account of the victim’s wishes.

Outcome for the two suspects:

The 36-year-old man has been transferred to the custody of the Home Office Immigration Enforcement team and is now detained pending deportation.
The 27-year-old man has been released with no further police action.

A Dyfed-Powys Police statement read: “This investigation was not terrorism-related, and we have no knowledge of any linked incident in Monkton. All rumours suggesting otherwise are incorrect.”

The force has also dismissed separate community speculation that the men entered the UK illegally on fraudulent passports or were due in court this week on terrorism charges.

Detectives stressed that every report of rape or serious sexual assault is treated seriously and victims are supported throughout. Anyone affected has been directed to specialist services, details of which are available on the force website.

No further police updates are expected.

Crime

Defendant denies using Sudocrem-covered finger to assault two-month-old baby

Published

2 days ago

December 2, 2025

Tom Sinclair

In dramatic day-long cross-examination, Christopher Phillips repeatedly denies sexual penetration, as prosecution alleges escalating anal attacks ended in catastrophic injury

CHRISTOPHER PHILLIPS, 28, spent almost six hours in the witness box today. During the entire afternoon he underwent a sustained and highly graphic cross-examination by prosecuting counsel Caroline Rees KC.

The defendant is accused of cruelty and multiple sexual assaults on his then-girlfriend’s two-month-old son between December 2020 and January 2021, culminating in life-threatening anal injuries discovered when the child was rushed to hospital on 24 January 2021. The baby’s mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is jointly charged with causing or allowing serious physical harm.

Both defendants plead not guilty.

Ms Rees KC opened the day by telling Phillips that the prosecution case was that he had developed a sexual interest in penetrating the baby anally and had used his finger, coated with Sudocrem, to do so on a number of occasions before finally causing the “catastrophic” tearing injury seen in the medical photographs.

***Artist’s impression of Christopher Phillips giving evidence at Swansea Crown Court***

Sudocrem and the mechanics of nappy changing

The prosecutor took Phillips step-by-step through his own description of how he applied Sudocrem: Ms Rees: “You would put a blob of Sudocrem on one finger, then use another finger to smear it around the nappy area?” Phillips: “Yes.” Ms Rees: “So your finger was covered in Sudocrem?” Phillips: “Yes.” Ms Rees: “And you accept you sometimes changed the baby completely alone?” Phillips: “Yes, occasionally.” Ms Rees: “You are extremely experienced with anal sex. You know that the first thing you do is use a lubricated finger to relax and open the sphincter before anything larger is introduced?” Phillips: “With consenting adults, yes.” Ms Rees: “Precisely. And that is exactly what you did to this baby with your Sudocrem-covered finger on more than one occasion, wasn’t it?” Phillips: “No. Never. Absolutely not.”

The alleged progression of assaults

Ms Rees put it to Phillips that the bright red blood he first noticed in the nappy around 12 January 2021, the further bleeding he photographed and sent to the mother on the night of 23 January, and the eventual massive tear and prolapse discovered hours later formed a clear escalation. “You were testing the water,” Ms Rees said. “First a little bleeding, then a bit more, and finally you went too far and caused the terrible injury the jury have seen.” Phillips repeatedly insisted the blood was caused by constipation and a haemorrhoid he had personally identified.

The baby’s rattle

Returning to the incident in which Phillips pressed the baby’s rattle against his own anus as a joke, Ms Rees said: “You have a highly trained eye for objects that can be used anally, don’t you, Mr Phillips? Within a split second you saw that rattle and thought ‘sex toy’.” Phillips replied: “It was a stupid, throw-away moment of jocularity. I didn’t insert it.”

Deletion of material from his phone

Within 48–72 hours of the baby being admitted to hospital in a life-threatening condition, Phillips wiped large quantities of sexual photographs, videos and internet search history from his device. Ms Rees: “You realised the game was up and you frantically deleted anything that showed your sexual interests, didn’t you?” Phillips: “I deleted adult material involving [the mother] because I was embarrassed. There was never anything involving the baby to delete.”

The final night – 23/24 January 2021

Cell-site records show Phillips arrived at the flat around 18:30 and did not leave until 02:57. He accepts he changed the baby’s nappy three times that night, including once around 22:17 when he photographed fresh blood and sent it to the mother who was in the next room. Ms Rees put it to him that shortly before he left he carried out the most serious assault, causing the full-thickness tear and prolapse, then “calmly walked out knowing the child was catastrophically injured”. Phillips answered: “When I left he was quiet and settled in [the mother’s] arms.”

Closing accusation

At the end of the afternoon, Caroline Rees KC rose and addressed the defendant directly: “Mr Phillips, over a period of weeks you sexually assaulted this two-month-old baby with your finger on multiple occasions. On the final night you penetrated [Baby C] so violently that you caused the devastating injuries shown in the photographs the jury have seen. That is the truth, isn’t it?” Phillips turned to face the jury and replied firmly and clearly: “No. I did not. I have never touched that baby sexually or harmed [the baby] in any way whatsoever.”

Caroline Rees KC indicated she still has further questions. Cross-examination will resume tomorrow morning before His Honour Judge Paul Thomas KC.

Crime

Probation claims ‘not fair’, says solicitor as defendant jailed for hammer offence

Published

2 days ago

December 2, 2025

Sarah Jane Absalom

Defence challenges report accusing Milford man of refusing to comply with community order

CLAIMS by the probation service that a defendant had refused to comply with community order requirements were strongly refuted by a defence solicitor when the case came before Haverfordwest magistrates this week.

Representing Josh Skipper, solicitor Tom Lloyd criticised what he described as a catalogue of inaccuracies in a probation report that recommended an immediate custodial sentence.

The report alleged that Skipper had:

REFUSED to comply with his community order;
was UNMOTIVATED to seek employment;
had no ACTIVE SKILLS or activity preferences; and
was not EASY to engage with.

But Mr Lloyd told the court these assertions were “simply not fair”.

“The report isn’t helpful in setting out the defendant’s background,” he said. “It’s just not fair.”

He told magistrates that Skipper had made repeated attempts to secure work in recent weeks, but had been unsuccessful. He added that the report criticised Skipper for having no skills or activities but offered no constructive recommendations such as unpaid work.

“It says he isn’t an easy person to engage with, but this is someone who was brought up in care from the age of 13 or 14,” Mr Lloyd said.

Skipper, 24, of Chestnut Way, Milford Haven, was before the court for sentence after pleading guilty to possessing an offensive weapon — a hammer — in a public place, namely Victoria Road, Milford Haven, on November 9.

Mr Lloyd accepted the offence crossed the custody threshold but urged magistrates to impose a suspended sentence.

“He understands it isn’t up to him to pick and choose what requirements they want of him,” he said. “But rather than be given a custodial sentence, his sentence should be suspended.”

Magistrates rejected the request, citing Skipper’s repeated offending and his lack of compliance with previous community orders.

Skipper was sentenced to 26 weeks in custody and ordered to pay a £154 surcharge and £85 costs. A forfeiture and destruction order was made for the hammer.