Four jailed after illegal Valium factory discovered in garage

Four men have been jailed after police uncovered a large-scale illegal Valium-manufacturing operation hidden inside a Newport garage.

Gwent Police found more than 200,000 tablets and equipment capable of producing drugs on an “industrial scale”.

Barry Patrick, 38, Leon Patrick, 31, James Mosley, 41, and Alun Yhnell, 40, were arrested in December 2022 following intelligence that the group was involved in producing Class A and Class C drugs.

Searches of their home addresses led investigators to a vehicle repair garage on Rudry Road, Newport — the heart of the operation.

Inside, officers discovered vast quantities of tablets made using MDMA (a Class A drug) and Bromazolam (a Class C drug).

Alongside the drugs were pill-pressing machinery, packaging and labelling equipment, and a hidden cannabis cultivation concealed behind a picture frame on the wall.

Police later confirmed the tablets alone carried a street value of up to £200,000, with nearly £50,000 worth of cannabis recovered from the homes of Barry and Leon Patrick.

Mosley, from Chepstow, and brothers Barry and Leon Patrick, from Kent, pleaded guilty to drug offences in August 2025.

Yhnell, from Newport, denied the charges but was convicted by a jury. All four were sentenced at Merthyr Crown Court on Monday, 17 November.

Barry Patrick received two years and seven months for conspiracy to produce Class C benzodiazepines, producing Class B cannabis, and possession with intent to supply both cannabis and MDMA. His brother, Leon Patrick, was jailed for 31 months for similar Class C and Class B offences.

Mosley was sentenced to two years and seven months for conspiracy to produce Class C drugs, while Yhnell received the longest sentence — three and a half years — for his role in the conspiracy.

Sophistication 

Detective Inspector Ian Bartholomew, the senior investigating officer, said the case marked the end of a “protracted and lengthy investigation” that exposed the sophistication and scale of the group’s drug-manufacturing setup.

“The evidence seized at the various properties linked to the group, along with messages and invoices for supplies, demonstrate the industrial scale that the drugs factory produced,” he said.

“We know the devastation that drug dealing can have on our communities. Those involved in the supply of drugs have no regard for the lives they affect and the harm they can cause.

“We welcome today’s sentences and hope they demonstrate our commitment to pursuing those involved in serious and organised crime and bringing them to justice.”