A CEREDIGION man has been jailed for eight years for his part in a criminal gang supplying drugs in Llanelli and Aberystwyth.

Christopher Peter Deakin, aged 36, was caught as part of Operation Ulysses set up by Dyfed-Powys Police.

The first phase of sentencing 28 defendants took place in March 2018. A further four defendants have now been sentenced at Swansea Crown Court, including Deakin, of Ffos y Ffin.

He was convicted on five charges including conspiracy to supply Class A cocaine and Class B cannabis and transferring criminal property.

Two men from Merseyside and another from the West Midlands were also handed jail terms.

Operation Ulysses was set up following a number of drug related deaths between 2014 and 2017 in Llanelli and Aberystwyth, and the force’s Serious and Organised Crime Team set up the operation to tackle the scourge of Class A drugs.

The multi-million pound conspiracies, by sophisticated organised crime groups, supplied and distributed staggering amounts of drugs, that flooded the streets of Aberystwyth and Llanelli.

Dyfed-Powys Police said the gang conspired to supply in excess of 20kg of heroin and cocaine, along with MDMA, cannabis and ketamine throughout Wales.

The force said the defendants were operating from within north Wales, south west Wales and also with another group based in Liverpool.

They were described as a sophisticated group dealing on an industrial scale and "executed their criminal enterprise with precision".

In total 32 defendants have now been sentenced to more than 214 years in prison between them.

Significantly, Dyfed-Powys Police say it has also seen a decline in the number of heroin-related deaths since the group’s operation was intercepted.

A further two defendants will be sentenced on August 2 at Swansea Crown Court.