Three members of a Wrexham-based gang have been jailed for supplying drugs in an area where a crown court judge said that “hundreds if not thousands of lives were blighted” by heroin and crack cocaine.

Michael Leon Williams, 25, ran a drugs supply business from his home in Gwenfro, Caia Park, to pay off a drugs debt, Mold Crown Court was told.

He sent out text messages advertising his drugs saying it was “party time” and that he had “the best in town”.

He admitted possessing crack cocaine and heroin with intent to supply in October of last year and was jailed for three years.

His partner, mother-of-four Anne Marie Jones, 26, also of Gwenfro, admitted two charges of being concerned in the supply of the two class A drugs between June and October of last year.

Jones, said to have turned a blind eye to what was going on and helping in the supply when Williams was not available, received a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years. She was ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.

Gareth Watmore, 28, of Minafon, Caia Park, received 27 months after he admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin.

Simon Pugh, 43, of Y Wern, Caia Park, who denied the charge but was convicted at an earlier trial at Caernarfon Crown Court, received a 30-month sentence.

Judge Niclas Parry said they had all played various roles in the supply of the most harmful of drugs in a part of North Wales “where hundreds if not thousands of lives are being blighted by heroin and crack cocaine”.

Williams, the judge said, ran the business. 

He was “heavily involved” in dealing class A drugs but the judge accepted  Williams got involved to clear his own drugs debts.

The drugs would be cut and packaged at his home and his phone would be used to arrange the sales.

More than 330 wraps had been recovered by the police and the high purity of some of the drugs was an aggravating feature.

“Many people would have been affected. Significant profits were being made,” he said.

Jones knew what was going on and allowed her home to be used.

“When Williams was not around, you stepped into the breach,” Judge Parry told her. “You were in it for the money.”

It all happened in a house where there were children.

Judge Parry said Pugh and Watmore would package the drugs and their fingerprints or DNA had been found inside the packages.

Pugh had “tried to pull the wool over a jury’s eyes” but had failed to do so.

Barrister Owen Edwards, prosecuting, said the police on two occasions executed a search warrant at the home that Williams and Jones shared.

On the first occasion last October, drugs with an estimated street value of £4,700 were recovered already packaged into deals. Five mobile phones were seized.

On the second occasion in January, scales, bags, phones and cash were found.

Analyses of the phones showed that multiple text messages had been sent out.

One read “it‘s party time, got white and brown, best in town, going great”.

Oliver King, for Williams, said he was not a large commercial supplier and he was not expecting large financial benefit.

He had done it to pay off a drugs debt and what he made was used to feed his addiction.

Williams deeply regretted involving his partner, the mother of his children.

Phillip Tully, for Jones,  said an immediate prison sentence in her case would be devastating as she had young children to care for.

Robert Edwards, for Watmore, said that it was his case that his client, a drug user for many years, had been involved on one day only after going to the house to purchase drugs.

The judge said it must have been a very busy day.

Henry Hills, for Pugh, said long term drug misuse meant that his client was on the verge of having his leg amputated.

He had been using drugs for the best part of 20
years and it had taken “a massive personal toll upon him”.