'Inept' head of family drug-dealing gang sentenced to nine years in jail
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Version 0 of 1. A couple who were part of a family-run multimillion-pound drugs ring spent £40,000 on their wedding and lived a lavish lifestyle while still claiming benefits, a court heard. Carl Honey-Jones, 31, described by a judge as the “inept” head of his family-run conspiracy, was brought before a judge, along with his wife and four other relatives, to be sentenced for their part in a cocaine supply ring in Swansea. Prosecutor Ian Wright QC said Honey-Jones and his wife, Donna, lived the kind of lavish lifestyle reserved for the rich and famous, while continuing to claim benefits. The couple jetted off on all-inclusive trips to the Maldives and paid for a family holiday to Lapland. They also spent £40,000 on their wedding – getting married at a 14th-century church before going to a reception by horse and cart. Swansea crown court heard the Honey-Jones’s frivolous spending had made them conspicuous to the authorities. They drove top-of-the-range Audis and BMWs, both with private number plates, and lived in a suburban four-bedroomed home while still in minimum-wage jobs and claiming thousands in benefits. Carl Honey-Jones, 31, was sentenced to a nine-year custodial term, while his wife, 32 – whose lawyer has insisted was just “taking cash from her husband and spending it” – had her sentence adjourned until 6 July. Four other relatives were involved, including Honey-Jones’s father-in-law Brian Harding, 58, who mixed cocaine with cutting agents in his garage; and Honey-Jones’s cousin, Matthew Jones, 24, described in court as Honey-Jones’s “right-hand man”. Donna Honey-Jones’s brother and sister also inadvertently gave themselves up after calling the police to report that they had received threats from gangsters. Judge Paul Thomas said the Honey-Jones operation – which saw large quantities of cocaine brought from Liverpool to Swansea – was motivated by greed. He said: “Carl Honey-Jones, you were the dealer principal and in your case it financed a extravagant lifestyle of foreign holidays, a lavish wedding and luxury cars. “The sums involved were in the seven-figures and you, Carl Honey-Jones, was at the very top of that conspiracy. Although it was was lucrative, the operation that you led was inept and amateurish. “Top-of-the-range cars and luxury brands in Penlan road were bound to attract suspicion.” The drugs network was taken apart after police raided 11 addresses in Swansea last year. Cocaine with a potential street value of £750,000 and almost £60,000 in cash were seized, along with expensive jewellery – including a genuine Rolex watch – as well as cars and quad bikes. Detectives also found a notebook detailing drug deals – with the amounts described in court as “eye-watering”. |