### Cardiff Crime Boss Ordered to Repay Just £1,700 After Multi-Million Pound Drug Operation
A convicted Cardiff gang leader who was dramatically arrested outside his home in just his underwear has been ordered by a Welsh court to pay back a mere fraction of his criminal gains, despite investigations showing he reaped more than £764,000 from drug trafficking.
Luke Mattan, 36, once ran a significant drugs network in the Welsh capital alongside his right-hand man, Saswall Abdullah, 27. The pair oversaw the distribution of at least 12 kilogrammes of cocaine—worth hundreds of thousands of pounds at street level—according to court reports. Their enterprise was closely linked to an upstream Liverpool gang, who handled the flow of both drugs and illicit cash in and out of South Wales.
Mattan’s illegal dealings came under closer scrutiny during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he sought to purchase a further 5 kilogrammes of cocaine for £195,000. The plan involved Joseph Thomas-Mullen, 49, a Liverpool-based enforcer who allegedly collected drug debts on behalf of suppliers higher up the supply chain.
In an attempt to evade police detection during the lockdown, Mattan supplied his couriers with falsified keyworker certificates, a move designed to mask the true nature of their business. Among those recruited into his crime ring was Carla Trace, 43, who disguised herself as a carer, using a hired Nissan Juke to retrieve a large volume of cocaine from London on Mattan’s behalf.
South Wales Police arrested Trace on 23 April, 2020. Less than two months later, on 17 June, officers descended upon Mattan’s Cardiff home. Video footage shared by police depicted the moment Mattan was apprehended on the doorstep in minimal clothing, forced to the ground and handcuffed by armed officers. The spectacle highlighted the intensity and risks of dismantling entrenched criminal networks during the pandemic.
Other family members were also implicated. Kirsty Mattan, 34, acted both as a courier and financier, collecting thousands in cash and delivering drugs on her brother’s instructions. She was arrested in August 2020 but initially denied any wrongdoing, attributing suspicious activity on her phone to other parties.
Jordan Mattan, aged 32, operated as the gang’s so-called ‘storeman,’ tasked with storing and distributing illicit substances. He was detained on the same day as Luke, and implicated in delivering significant amounts of cocaine throughout the region, according to court evidence.
The criminal case concluded with Luke Mattan pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs. He received a jail sentence of 15 years and eight months last year, a punishment reflective of the seriousness of the charges and the scale of his criminal operation.
However, at a recent Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing held at Cardiff Crown Court, judges heard that while Mattan’s financial benefit from crime stood at a staggering £764,435, his available assets amounted to just £1,788. With most of his ill-gotten gains apparently untraceable, Judge Shomon Khan ordered Mattan to repay this sum within three months, or serve a further month in prison by default—an outcome reflecting the frequent difficulty authorities face in recovering hidden criminal proceeds.
This case underscores the challenges faced by law enforcement and the courts in not only disrupting organised drug networks, but also bringing offenders to account for their financial impacts on communities. While the sentences handed out may offer some reassurance, the modest financial recovery serves as yet another reminder of the complexities of stripping criminals of their profits.
As police and prosecutors continue their efforts to target drug trafficking in Wales, the Mattan case is a stark example of both the scale and resourcefulness of illicit enterprises—and the ongoing struggle to ensure they do not profit from their crimes.