A shocking tale of exploitation and crime unfolded in Swansea, where an organised crime group sent “vulnerable” recruits from Hertfordshire with significant addictions to deal Class A drugs. The trio, tucked away in a BMW, were nabbed by keen-eyed plain clothes officers in the St Thomas area who intercepted a dodgy deal.
Meet the culprits: Finlay Price-Smallman, keen on swapping the drug life for a burger van dream; Barrie Iylett, a former plasterer whose life spun out of control due to addiction; and Joseph Bilclough, who has finally embraced a drug-free life for the first time in decades while on remand. These men, battling their own demons, were used by a larger ‘county lines’ network to funnel drugs – a grim reality far too common nowadays.
The operation linked Swansea to Hertfordshire, with evidence exposing frequent “restock” trips. A network stretched across Airbnb properties in Swansea and Mumbles was uncovered, with mobile data tracing their every move. In court, the defendants faced their pasts: Price-Smallman with 24 prior offences, Iylett with 12, including possession of a firearm, and Bilclough with 23, showcasing a life of chaos.
Their ambitions and repentant stories couldn’t sway the court’s decision. With early guilty pleas, Iylett and Bilclough each received three years, while Price-Smallman got 31 months behind bars. Despite their pasts, they face the future with glimmers of hope—plans to leave old haunts and start afresh. For the fourth man caught with them, Andrew Avraam’s sentencing is still pending.
A stark reminder of the cycles of addiction and crime that grip our communities, this story shines a light on the harsh realities and hard choices faced by those roped into county lines exploitation. Let’s hope their sentences become a path to real change.
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