Three men jailed for admitting drug supply offences in Bristol
Last November, officers stopped a vehicle on the northbound M5 in South Gloucester and found almost £60,000 in cash - leading to further investigations
Last updated 17th Mar 2023
Three men have been jailed for a total of more than 20 years.
They've today been sentenced at Bristol Crown Court (March 17) after admitting drug supply offences at an earlier hearing.
The court heard that the three were part of an organised crime group bringing heroin and cocaine into Bristol.
It follows police following-up on their investigations back in November 2022.
On 11 November, officers stopped a vehicle travelling on the northbound carriageway on the M5 in South Gloucester.
Once the car has been pulled over, police then found almost £60,000 in cash, with enquiries showing the vehicle had been driven from Liverpool to Bristol earlier that day.
Further investigation led officers to search an address in Hartcliffe - where they seized just over 6kg of heroin and 377g of cocaine.
That had a combined street value of more than £630,000.
Additionally, three kilos of a 'cutting agent' was also used to 'bulk out' the heroin - therefore increasing the profit margins of the dealers.
Three men were arrested the same day on suspicion of drug offences, charged and appeared in court the following Monday, 14 November 2022:
- Lee Wood, 34, of Queen Charlotte Street, Bristol, admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine, acquiring/using/possessing criminal property, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance
- Wade Gwyther, 27, of Kenmare Avenue, Bristol, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine
- Peter Woods, 33, of Clavell Road, Liverpool - the driver of the vehicle stopped on the M5 - admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine and acquiring/using/possessing criminal property
On Friday (17 March) all three appeared at Bristol Crown Court for sentence:
- Lee Wood was jailed for 10 years
- Wade Gwyther was handed a prison term of six years and eight months
- Peter Woods was jailed for four years and eight months
Judge Edward Burgess described it as a ‘well-organised criminal network functioning at a high level’.
Judge Burgess determined Wood had played a leading role directing and organising heroin and cocaine supply on a ‘commercial scale’.
Detective Chief Inspector Adam Smith said: "This sentence recognises that these individuals were senior figures in an organised crime group bringing drugs into our city.
"We take targeted action like this because we see first-hand the harm done to individuals and our communities by wholesale dealers like these men. Lives are ruined and communities suffer from the anti-social behaviour and acquisitive crime that come hand-in-hand with the illegal drug trade."
If you have information about drug crime, you can get in touch with the police.
If you or someone you know is impacted by drug use - you can find more information on the Talk to Frank website.