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South Wales Argus
10 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Newport drug dealer who made £1.8 million to repay just £10
Jade Strutt, aged 37, from Newport was part of a gang jailed for more than 85 years. She was locked up for nine years last December for her role in the operation. The proceeds of crime hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard how the defendant, formerly of Llanwern Road, profited by £1,891,409. Strutt has no assets to her name and was ordered by Judge Simon Mills to hand over the nominal amount of £10 within three months or face an extra seven days in prison. She was in a gang whose dealings mainly focussed around the Box Hotel on Corporation Road in Newport. Heroin, cocaine and ecstasy would be stored there and it was here where their meetings would take place. Some drugs were also stored at the Box Guesthouse on Stow Hill. The whole operation was being overseen from afar by a drugs kingpin living in Cambodia. Catching the gang involved the largest enforcement in Gwent Police's recent history with five warrants executed in September 2023 at buildings in Newport and Cardiff. A spokesperson for Gwent Police said: "These warrants involved 80 firearms officers and around 100 supporting officers and staff. "Throughout the investigation, five cars, including a Range Rover were seized, along with multiple mobile phones.' The following drugs were found: Cocaine with an estimated street value of £74,000 Heroin with a street value of £9,000 Ecstasy powder worth around £49,000 Ecstasy tablets with an estimated street value of more than £6,000 The operation was handling huge amounts of money. Detective Inspector Ian Bartholomew from Gwent Police's organised crime squad said: 'This has been an exhaustive investigation. 'Through conducting hours of surveillance, we were able to build a robust case to ensure those involved were brought to justice.'
Wales Online
6 days ago
- Wales Online
Gang member who made £1.8m from crime to pay back just £10
Gang member who made £1.8m from crime to pay back just £10 Jade Strutt, 36, was involved in the enterprise by directing drug couriers and storing cash. Jade Strutt, 36, was jailed for nine years for her part in an organised crime gang based at a Newport hotel (Image: Gwent Police) A member of an organised crime gang (OCG) which stored £135,000 worth of Class A drugs at a hotel has been ordered to pay back just £10 despite benefiting by almost £2m. Drugs including heroin, cocaine, and MDMA were stored at two hotels. Ihtesham Ali Hassan, the manager of the Box Hotel in Newport, became involved in a drugs conspiracy headed by Nicholas Yhnell, 38. The OCG was involved in the supply of heroin, cocaine, and MDMA which was stored at the Box Hotel and its sister hotel the Box Guest House. Jade Strutt, 36, was also involved in the enterprise by directing drug couriers and storing cash. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter. The couriers based at the hotel would travel throughout the UK, delivering and collecting huge quantities of drugs and cash. An operation was launched by Gwent Police which saw five warrants executed in September last year at buildings in Newport and Cardiff involving 80 firearms officers and 100 supporting officers and staff. Among the items seized were five cars including a Range Rover and multiple phones. Article continues below Also seized was heroin with a street value of up to £9,000, cocaine with a street value of up to £74,000, MDMA powder with a street value up to £49,000, and MDMA tablets with a street value up to £6,000. More than 1.1m lignocaine tablets and paracetamol tablets were also seized. Further members of the OCG were arrested including Yhnell's wife Kelly Balchin, 39, David Watkins, 38, Richard Connors, 40, and Kayla Grubb, 32. The latter three were employed as "professional" couriers. Connors, partner of Strutt, was arrested in May last year in his car and was found in possession of 965,000 paracetamol tablets to be used as an agent to make heroin. Yhnell, of Newport was sentenced to 15 years and nine months imprisonment. Watkins, of Newport, was sentenced to six years imprisonment. Strutt, of Newport, was sentenced to nine years imprisonment. Connors, of Newport, was sentenced to six years imprisonment. Grubb, of Newport, was sentenced to six years imprisonment. Balchin, of Newport, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. Article continues below At a Proceeds of Crime (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday Strutt was said to have benefited to the tune of £1,891,409 for her part in the enterprise but it was heard she has no available assets. Judge Simon Mills ordered the defendant to pay a nominal sum of £10.
South Wales Argus
30-07-2025
- South Wales Argus
Newport linked drug dealer who made £120k to repay just £1
Shaquille Germaine was linked to a Newport-based organised crime operation run from the city's Box Hotel and Box Guesthouse. He was jailed for seven years and six months in April after he pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of ecstasy. Cardiff Crown Court heard how his offending took place between November 1, 2022 and September 13, 2023. The 27-year-old, of Pepys Crescent, Llanrumney, Cardiff was back in court for a proceeds of crime hearing. William Bebb, prosecuting, revealed how Shaquille Germaine profited by £119,965.53 selling the class A drug. The defendant has no assets which can be seized and was ordered by Judge Shomon Khan to hand over a nominal sum of £1. He must do so within two months or face an additional seven days in prison. When Shaquille Germaine was sentenced, the court heard that Mohammed Hassan, 46, was the manager of the Box Hotel on Corporation Road. Ffion Tomos, prosecuting, said that heroin, cocaine and ecstasy would be stored there and it was where meetings would take place Some drugs were also stored at the Box Guesthouse on Stow Hill. Among the customers picking up ecstasy to sell on was Jamie Germaine, 52, and his sons Shaquille Germaine and Tyrell Germaine, 29. They had a 'family business' supplying thousands of tablets. The whole operation was being overseen from afar by a drugs kingpin living "the high life" in Cambodia. Judge Daniel Williams told Hassan: 'In certain respects, this group was disorganised. Your life, Mr Hassan was, you may agree, chaotic. 'You are breathtakingly dishonest and during your evidence at trial it was, on occasion, laughable. 'But you played a leading role in supplying vast amounts of three types of drug capable of devastating lives, devastating livelihoods and ruining families. 'Your self-serving patter looks less funny when you consider that.' Hassan was jailed for 14 years after he was found guilty by a jury of conspiracy to supply class A drugs. The Germaine trio, all of Pepys Crescent, Llanrumney, Cardiff all pleaded guilty. Jamie Germaine admitted conspiracy to supply ecstasy while Shaquille Germaine and Tyrell Germaine accepted being concerned in the supply of the class A drug. The trio were jailed in 2019 over a conspiracy to supply nearly £4 million of cannabis. Judge Williams jailed Jamie Germaine for seven years and four months and Tyrell Germaine for four years and two months. Six other defendants were locked up for a joint total of 52 years last December.
Wales Online
10-07-2025
- Wales Online
Man found with thousands of 'Donkey Kong' tablets made more than £140k but must pay back £1
Man found with thousands of 'Donkey Kong' tablets made more than £140k but must pay back £1 Tyrell Germaine, 29, made nine trips to the Box Hotel in Newport along with his father Jamie Germaine, 52, and his brother Shaquille Germaine, 27 Tyrell Germaine, 29, was found in possession of thousands of MDMA tablets (Image: Gwent Police ) A man who made multiple trips to a hotel where an organised crime gang was based has been ordered to pay back just £1 despite benefiting by more than £140,000. Class A drugs worth £135,000 including thousands of MDMA tablets were later seized from the hotel. Tyrell Germaine, 29, made nine trips to the Box Hotel in Newport along with his father Jamie Germaine, 52, and his brother Shaquille Germaine, 27. Hotel manager Ihtesham Ali Hassan, 46, facilitated the conspiracy which saw heroin, cocaine and MDMA stored at the hotel and its sister hotel, the Box Guest House. Drug couriers based at the hotel would travel throughout the UK delivering and collecting huge quantities of drugs and cash. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter. Messages later found on Shaquille Germaine's phone showed he had been involved in selling huge amounts of MDMA tablets, with photos and videos showing thousands of tablets branded with Donkey Kong. On June 15, 2023 all three of the Germaines travelled to the Box Hotel but upon returning to Cardiff they were stopped by police in their car on the A48 in Marshfield. Tyrell Germaine told the officers there was a bag of class A drugs in the back. Article continues below A search of the vehicle revealed a Lidl bag containing five packages containing 4,553 MDMA tablets. The drugs were worth between £13,599 and £45,330. Hassan, of Cefn Coed Road, Roath, Cardiff, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin, cocaine and MDMA. Jamie Germaine, of HMP Parc, Shaquille Germaine and Tyrell Germaine, both of Pepys Crescent, Llanrumney, all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply MDMA. Shaquille Germaine also pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of MDMA. Hassan was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment. Jamie Germaine was sentenced to seven years and four months imprisonment. Shaquille Germaine was sentenced to seven years and six months imprisonment. Tyrell Germaine was sentenced to four years and two months imprisonment. At a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard Tyrell Germaine benefited to the tune of £140,993 as a result of his offending but has no available assets. Judge Jeremy Jenkins ordered the defendant to pay a nominal sum of £1. Article continues below
