Four men have been handed substantial prison sentences for their roles in facilitating a major drug trafficking operation that funnelled cocaine worth over £3 million from London and the East Midlands to the South West.
Pavel Purkin, Mehmet Sanci, Corneliu Preda, and Garfield Prehay were instrumental in the conspiracy, acting as couriers for both drugs and money. Their actions have resulted in a combined jail term of 37-and-a-half years.
This sentencing follows an extensive investigation by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU), which has already seen eight other members of the criminal group receive a total of 87 years behind bars.
With the latest sentences, the total custodial time for the group now stands at a staggering 124 years, with three additional members handed suspended sentences.
Mehmet Sanci, 37, from Swindon, was responsible for transporting at least 5kg of cocaine and collecting £418,000 in drug proceeds from Hyman, whom he also supplied with cocaine locally. Sanci received a nine-year sentence.
Pavel Purkin, 34, from Bognor Regis, played a significant role in transporting 55kg of cocaine, valued at nearly £2 million, to Bath-based Romaine Hyman over five deliveries. Purkin has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Corneliu Preda, 37, from Saltford, Bath, served as a regular driver for Hyman, aiding in the collection of substantial sums of cash and cocaine. He has been sentenced to ten years in prison.
Garfield Prehay, 36, from Wembley, London, transported seven-kilo blocks of cocaine from London to Bath on the day of Hyman’s arrest. Prehay received a three-and-a-half-year sentence.
DCI Adam Smith of the SWROCU commended the investigation team for dismantling the operation, which he described as causing “massive harm” in communities. Operation Venetic, the UK’s response to the takedown of the EncroChat platform, played a crucial role in uncovering the conspiracy and bringing its perpetrators to justice.
