A GANG with drugs valued at £5.5m was busted when a van was stopped by police in Pontypool.

Following a search of the vehicle on November 20 2013, 60 kilograms of herbal cannabis was seized resulting in the arrests of two men - Darren Lewis and Darren James Cohen, both from the Pentwyn area of Cardiff.

Police later raided a storage unit in the Cwmbran area and a substantial amount of controlled drugs were seized.

Officers found a kilogram of MDMA (Ecstasy), 61kg  of amphetamine and 134kg of cannabis resin. In total the drugs had a potential street value of over of £5.5 million.

The investigation team identified the main subject of the enquiry was gang boss Vincent David Lowrie of King Henry V Drive, Monmouth. Officers liaised with colleagues in English Police Forces and other agencies and were able to trace the movement of the drugs found in the van from the Walsall area, linking all three men involved. Lowrie was then arrested on April 8 2014 at his home in Monmouth.

Lowrie pleaded to guilty to conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs, MDMA, amphetamine sulphate and cannabis, and Lewis pleaded guilty to the offence of possession with intent to supply class B - cannabis.

Darren Cohen was found guilty of possession with intent to supply class B -  cannabis - at Cardiff Crown Court.

The three defendants were today sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court. Vincent David Lowrie was jailed for nine years, Darren James Cohen, Wern Goch, Pentwyn, Cardiff, was jailed for two years 6 months and Darren Lewis, Pant Glas, Pentwyn, Cardiff, was jailed for two years 6 months.

DCI Gary Phillips of Operation Tarian said: “The sentences handed out today at Cardiff Crown Court once again send a powerful message that being involved in organised crime will ultimately result in you being targeted by the police, and being put before the courts.

“The Tarian team, working with local Forces, have once again worked hard to destroy an organised crime group which was causing immeasurable harm to our communities in Southern Wales, taking a significant quantity of dangerous drugs off our streets in the process.

“Whilst sentencing is now complete our work continues as we look to take any assets they have gained for this criminality away from them as part of a proceeds of crime investigation.”