Newport drugs gang jailed for more than 24 years for cocaine and heroin supply

Five members of a Newport drugs gang responsible for supplying cocaine and heroin across the city have been sentenced to a combined 24 years and seven months in prison.

The group – Ross Appleby, 27, William Inker, 25, Kieran McCormack, 27, Jaylin Foley, 19, and Melissa Probert, 33 – were sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday 13 October after admitting to multiple offences linked to the supply of class A drugs.

Appleby, identified as the controller of the gang’s cocaine line, was jailed for seven years and six months. Inker was sentenced to six years, McCormack to five years, Foley to three years and nine months, and Probert to two years and four months.

Operation Stanley

The convictions follow Operation Stanley, a major investigation led by Gwent Police’s serious and organised crime unit. Officers uncovered the gang’s operation in January 2024 when they executed a warrant at an address on Constable Drive, Newport.

Inside, they discovered almost one kilogram of cocaine worth around £50,000, 183.9 grams of cannabis, £30,000 in cash, and drug paraphernalia, including scales and grinders.

Appleby was later arrested on Power Street in March 2024. Searches of his car and a linked property led to further seizures, including £12,520 cash, a black Audi Q3, smartphones, an electric scooter and an electric bike.

Mobile phone

Detective Constable Kieran Butcher, the officer in the case, said the gang used a dedicated mobile phone number to coordinate the sale of cocaine across Newport.

“The evidence we gathered showed clearly that Appleby controlled the drugs line, while Inker, McCormack, Foley and Probert were also heavily involved,” he said.

“With overwhelming evidence against them, each defendant had little option but to plead guilty. These five criminals did not care about the suffering they caused to vulnerable people and their families – their only interest was in the profits they were making.”

The court heard that Foley and Probert admitted being concerned in the supply of both heroin and cocaine, with Foley also pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply heroin. Appleby and Foley also admitted possession with intent to supply cocaine.

Inker and McCormack pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis, while Appleby admitted an additional charge of possession with intent to supply cannabis. Probert also admitted failing to surrender to custody on two occasions and escaping lawful custody.