Anglesey drug dealer ordered to pay back more than £200,000 of ill-gotten gains

A member of an organised crime group who supplied illegal drugs into Anglesey has been ordered to pay back more than £200,000 he made through criminal activity.

Anthony Fahy of Llanfechell, Amlwch, is currently serving a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence for conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis between January 2017 and September 2019.

Operation Tide, an investigation led by North Wales Police in 2019, resulted in the arrest and subsequent imprisonment of Fahay and other gang members.

The case involved large-scale drug supply, with a network that stretched from Merseyside and North Wales to Devon, Cornwall and Scotland.

The drugs in the overall Operation Tide conspiracy have been valued at approximately £1.8million.

Fahy, 31, sourced cannabis and cocaine from the leader of the organised crime group (OCG), Colin Jones, in Liverpool, to supply to the communities of Anglesey.

Fahy appeared at a Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing at Mold Crown Court on Wednesday, May 17th, where the court heard he had amassed a total of £232,531 as a result of his criminal activities.

However, the worth of his current assets was valued at £216,531, all of which will be recovered by authorities.

Police forces receive a percentage of all assets seized, and use the money to fund future POCA investigations, finance crime prevention and help community initiatives.

Detective Inspector Richard Sidney said: “During Operation Tide, the force’s Serious Organised Crime Unit led a detailed and targeted investigation which culminated in the arrest and long-term imprisonment of those involved.

“The recovery of these substantial funds in this case underlines our commitment to disrupting OCG-related crime in the strictest possible terms.

“Drug supply is a blight on communities and can have a devastating impact on people’s lives. As a force, we are committed to pursuing criminals and gangs whose crimes inflict such misery on their victims.”

Detective Constable Helen Philips added: “Fahy has been stripped of substantial assets, as well as cash, which sends a clear message that we will relentlessly pursue organised criminals, and we will continue to recover wealth gained by these illegal consortiums.”