Last Friday saw the final sentencing for the ‘Goldie’ county lines operation at Cardiff Crown Court.
Operation ‘Goldie’ was a complex investigation into the ‘Goldie’ county line Organised Crime Group (OCG). The ‘Goldie’ line was controlled from London from October 19, 2018, and May 23, 2019, and it flooded the Bridgend area with high quality diamorphine (heroin) and ‘crack’ cocaine with the total quantity of both equating to 3.29 kilograms.
During several enforcement phases within Bridgend and London, nine people were arrested and subsequently convicted of Drug Trafficking and Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) offences.
The head of the county line was Caine Morris-McGibbon (AKA ‘Goldie’), who controlled the ‘line’ from South London, with a network of individuals each playing a vital role in facilitating the supply of drugs into Bridgend or allowing bank accounts for the proceeds to be deposited.
- Santana Donegan and Dejuan Bell trafficked the drugs from London to South Wales and controlled the hands-on dealing to customers.
- Menna Thomas allowed her premises in Pencoed to be used as a base for the ‘Goldie’ Line to operate from, where the drugs were prepared and stored ahead of distribution to Class A users in and around the Bridgend area.
- John Hauxwell hired the vehicle which was used by himself and gang members to deliver the Class A drugs.
- Shaquile Oduleye and Tenika Brown facilitated the transfers of monies from their accounts to Morris-McGibbon.
- Aisha Mills and Joanne Gordon allowed their premises in South London to store wholesale quantities of diamorphine (heroin), ‘crack’ cocaine, cutting agents and weapons along with facilitating money transfers for McGibbon.
- Morris-McGibbon also trafficked a 16-year-old boy to work as part of his drug dealing enterprise.
Detective Sergeant Richard Gregory said: “We have disrupted a major county line drug dealing gang jailing nine people involved in a significant organised conspiracy after a five-year operation which has taken a large number of dangerous people and substances off the streets”.
“The case saw officers trawling through a vast amount of media data, phone analysis, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) along with forensic and tactical enforcements which needed overlaying to order to put forward a meticulous prosecution case.”
“We will continue to proactively target those we believe to be involved in drugs and use the powers we have to make sure their activity is disrupted.”
The nine involved were:
- Caine Jardel Morris-McGibbon – 26, from London – 11 years and 6 months.
- Santana Donegan – 23, from Camberwell, London – 8 years.
- Dejuan Maurice Bell – 24, from Lambeth, London – 8 years.
- Menna Louise Thomas – 29, Pencoed, Bridgen – 6 years and 6 months
- John Hauxwell – 46, from Brackla – 2 years suspended sentence.
- Shaquile Oduleye – 27, from South Lambeth – Community Order for Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) offences.
- Tenika Brown – 31, from Lambeth, London – Community Order for Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) offences.
- Aisha Mills – 26, from Croydon – Community Order for Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) offences.
- Joanne Gordon – 49, from London – Community Order for Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) offences.
Detective Constable Adam Yeates added: “County lines crime continues to be a problem which often involves the exploitation of vulnerable individuals in the supply of illegal drugs which causes harm to our communities.
“This sentence sends a clear message that individuals involved in the supply and transportation of harmful drugs into our communities will be brought to justice and dealt with robustly.”
