A company director whose business made more than £4m last year was part of a conspiracy to supply cocaine worth £428,000. The enterprise came to a halt after a taxi driver was pulled over by police and found with 3kg of cocaine.
James Welch, 46, of Swansea, played a "significant role" in the conspiracy along with Marianne McGuinness, 41, who allowed her flat in Cardiff to be used as a safehouse for onward supply. The two of them communicated "considerably" over phones which were seized by police.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday heard taxi driver Lee McCarthy was observed by police pulling up in a black Mercedes outside the home of McGuinness in De Clare Drive, in Radyr, at around 4.20pm on November 6, 2018. He remained inside the vehicle as McGuinness came out of her flat and was seen leaning into the car while handing over a green package.
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McCarthy drove away but was followed by police and stopped as he reached Michaelston Road in Ely. In the passenger seat footwell was a green Co-op bag containing items wrapped in black plastic. Inside were three blocks of white powder with the initials BBVA on them.
Prosecutor Roger Griffiths said each block was found to be roughly be 1kg of cocaine with a purity between 77% and 80%. The wholesale value of the drugs was between £90,000 and £120,000 but the street value increased to between £342,000 and £428,000.
The package was seized and McCarthy was arrested. The wrapping on the package was examined for forensic evidence and a DNA profile belonging to McGuinness was recovered. McGuinness was also arrested and messages on her phones revealed Welch's links to the conspiracy.
The next arrest surrounding the conspiracy came on January 10, 2019, when Hassun Salim, 41, was seen collecting money on behalf of Welch. He was seen leaving his home in Penhevad Street, Grangetown, before getting into a Volkswagen taxi and driving to Merches Gardens. He left his vehicle and walked into Clare Road and walking to a garage. The defendant then left the premises five minutes later carrying a black bag.
He travelled to Schooner Way before getting out and taking the bag to another vehicle nearby and getting in. The vehicle began to drive off but was stopped by police who arrested Salim. The bag was found to contain £142,580 and the defendant claimed he had been paid £1,000 to collect the money.
On June 26, 2019, Welch was arrested outside his workplace in Baglan as a result of the messages found on McGuinness' phone – one of which saw her threaten to tell the police about him during an argument. Police seized a laptop, iPhone, and an EncroChat device but they were unable to gain access to it. Welch answered "no comment" in his police interview but claimed he and McGuinness were "friends" who met for coffee.
There was a complicated history in the case reaching conclusion in the courts with an initial trial in 2020 being unable to take place due to Covid restrictions. There were also difficulties with Welch's legal fees and the investigating officer in the case being unavailable due to injury.
But at the start of 2023 Welch, of Frederick Place, Llansamlet, Swansea, and McGuinness pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of Class A. Salim pleaded guilty to possession of criminal property. The court heard Welch had four previous convictions for drug trafficking offences and McGuinness had a previous conviction for possession with intent to supply mephedrone. Salim was of previous good character.
In mitigation for Welch Archangelo Power said his client was the director of Proseal Roofing Ltd – a company which made £4m last year alone and employed 55 people. He said the defendant was the sole guardian of his young daughter following the death of his wife. During the delay in the case the court heard Welch had started medication for ADHD, had found stability with his new partner, and had led his business to "unbridled success".
Tim Petrides, for McGuinness, said his client was a single mother who was facing financial difficulty and "needed to provide for her children". He acknowledge the defendant could have turned to other options but she had fallen into allowing her home to be used as a safehouse on behalf of Welch.
Ben Waidhofer, for Salim, said his client was in a different position to his two co-defendants and the court consider suspending any custodial sentence. He said the defendant was in employment and also had dependents reliant on him.
Addressing the delay in the case Judge Jeremy Jenkins said: "If ever there was a case that highlights the difficulties that now faces sentencing judges faced with serious offending set against a background of lengthy delays this is one." The judge told Welch: "You went into this operation with your eyes fully open, knowing the consequences of being caught. You were caught and you now have to face the consequences."
Welch was sentenced to a total of six years imprisonment. McGuinness was sentenced to four years and three months imprisonment. Salim was sentenced to eight months imprisonment suspended for 18 months and was ordered to carry out 120 hours unpaid work and to pay costs of £1,500.
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