Pair must pay back £140,000 drug earnings

TWO members of a drug gang have been ordered to pay back more than £140,000 between them following a police operation which seized almost 300kg of drugs.

South Wales Police said Michael and Terence Earle were two members of a gang of 23 put behind bars for a “variety of drug supplying offences” who formed a wider crime group across the UK.

In addition to the drugs haul of more than 88kgs of amphetamine and almost 200kg of cannabis, the gang also had £1.2m seized, which police proved was part of the drug dealing activities.

At a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing on Thursday, Cardiff Crown Court heard that Terence Earle, 41, of Freckleton Road, St Helens, was ordered to pay £61,501.68 from a benefit of £91,391.58.

The amount available was made up from cash, equity in a property in St Helens and a Rolex watch which will be auctioned off.

Michael Earle, 43, of Wallis Drive, Liverpool, was ordered to pay £81,024.33 from a benefit of £185,110.08.

The amount available was from a property in Liverpool.

They both have three months to pay the amount, with a default sentence of 12 months for Terence and a 15-month sentence partially for Michael if it is not paid beforehand.

Roger Griffiths was representing the prosecution and Ian Whitehurst was representing both defendants, who were both absent from court.

The two-year investigation came as part of Operation Hallett which was managed by TARIAN, the Welsh Regional Organised Crime Unit.

Following sentencing of the drugs gang last year, police said the gang was headed by Michael Martin, 50, of Bargoed, who “utilised his underworld contacts across the UK to form a drug empire”. He was sentenced to 14 years.

Terence Earle and Michael Earle were both sentenced to three years.

“During the course of the investigation, an address in Ystrad, Rhondda, was searched which led to the recovery of £1.2m in cash, along with a sawn-off shotgun, cartridges and a Cheetah stun gun,” a South Wales Police spokesman said.

“This cash seizure highlighted to the inquiry team the sheer scope and influence of the various organised crime groups colluding with Michael Martin, as well as the vast gains that were available within the drug dealing fraternity.”