Former Wales boxer caught plotting to import cannabis from Thailand to North Wales after tip off
Police swooped on Harvey Williams at a Llandudno guesthouse and found drugs along with Williams' partner "cooking" cocaine on a stove to turn it into crack cocaine. Williams and his partner Sophie Williams-Roberts pleaded guilty to drugs offences.
Today a judge at Caernarfon Crown Court gave them suspended sentences. An accomplice Thomas Braganca received a 12-month community order. You can sign up for all the latest court stories here
Prosecutor Richard Edwards said last year Harvey Williams, 21, and Braganca, 30, had conspired to import cannabis from Thailand.
On June 7 last year Harvey Williams had been staying in the Bella Vista Guest House in Llandudno. Police arrived and found both Williams and partner Sophie Williams-Roberts, 30, in a room.
She was "cooking crack cocaine on a stove", the court heard. Officers also discovered 17.7g of heroin worth £1,600 and 174 wraps of crack cocaine worth £1,700.
They also found scales and evidence the couple been involved in drug dealing. On May 26 Harvey had sent a message about "Thai weed" with the words "I'll have proper cheap. Nice".
The court also heard that later on August 6 last year the UK Border Force told North Wales Police about two suspect packages they found containing about a kilo of herbal cannabis with two local addresses.
Police arrested the three defendants. Enquiries established Harvey Williams had travelled to Thailand and that Braganca had supplied him with the two addresses for the packages to be sent to.
Elen Owen, defending Harvey Williams, said he had had his own drug habit and was paying off drug debts. He had been a boxer for the Welsh national team.
She said: "It appears sadly like so many thousands of others (life) unravelled during the Covid period when the positive influences of daily training were taken away from him and he associated with older, negative influences on him, leading to him taking drugs." At one stage, when he was a teenager, his mobility was affected and he went into hospital, she added.
He tried to keep away from dealers but he and his family were threatened and he felt he had no choice but to continue his offending, said Ms Owen. But his time on remand in custody has taught him a "salutary lesson".
Jemma Gordon, for Sophie Williams-Roberts, said it was "unfortunate" that the mother of three has found herself convicted of such a number of offences. She had suffered trauma and had been using drugs from a young age.
Harvey Williams, of Queen's Avenue, Maesgeirchen, Bangor, was given a 24-month jail term, suspended for 24 months, for conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and conspiracy to supply heroin. He also received a concurrent, nine- month suspended sentence for the importation of cannabis.
Sophie Williams-Roberts, of Tan-y-Coed, Maesgeirchen, Bangor, was given a 16-month jail term, suspended for 18 months, for conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin. She must wear a trail monitoring tag for six months and attend 15 sessions of rehabilitation activity.
Braganca, of Glyn Road, Bangor, was given a 12-month community order for the importation of cannabis. He must do 20 days of rehabilitation activity.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
12 hours ago
- The Sun
Map reveals last-known sightings of missing woman, 22, feared to be in the water after belongings found on iconic bridge
A MAP has revealed the last-known sightings of a missing woman who is feared to be in the water. Police launched a frantic search after discovering Gwenno Ephraim's belongings on the Menai Bridge in north Wales earlier this week. 4 4 The 22-year-old was last seen in the upper Bangor area on Monday night wearing grey joggers, a grey hoodie and black trainers. North Wales Police believe that she was making her way towards the Menai Suspension Bridge. CCTV footage shows Gwenno walking alone between 10.20pm and 11.10pm the same evening. On Tuesday morning, her personal belongings were discovered on the bridge. Cops launched a major search operation amid fears that Gwenno may have entered the Menai Straight. Rescue teams, including cops, HM Coastguard helicopter, and RNLI crews have been working around the clock since Tuesday. North Wales Police confirmed that searches remain ongoing in the area. In a statement on its website yesterday, the force said: "Searches remain ongoing for a 22-year-old woman, who is currently missing. "Gwenno Ephraim was last seen in the upper Bangor area on Monday night (28 July) and is believed to have walked towards Menai Bridge. "CCTV footage reviewed by officers appears to show Gwenno walking alone between the hours of 10.20pm and 11.10pm on Monday night. "Personal items, believed to belong to Gwenno, were subsequently found on the Menai Suspension Bridge on Tuesday morning. "Search efforts in and around the waters of the Menai Strait have continued today (Thursday, 31 July), following several days of activity." Body found in search for missing mum-of-3 Rachel Booth who disappeared after early morning jog Officers are in contact and supporting Gwenno's family, but attempts to locate Gwenno have so far been unsuccessful. Chief Inspector Stephen Pawson added: 'Officers investigating Gwenno's disappearance continue to follow many lines of enquiry in their efforts to trace her movements. 'Gwenno's family has been informed of the circumstances that led up to her disappearance and we will continue to provide support and timely updates as this investigation progresses. 'Our thoughts are with all family members at what must be an extremely difficult time. "We recognise the distress and emotional impact this investigation will have, and we are committed to supporting the family with the deployment of specially trained officers. 'We would like to hear from anyone who may have seen Gwenno on the night of 28 July, or who may have dashcam footage of her walking from the Bangor area." The Menai Suspension Bridge connects the island of Anglesey and mainland Wales. Opened almost 200 years ago, the Grade I listed structure was the world's first iron suspension bridge. 4
The Independent
16 hours ago
- The Independent
Thailand returns 2 wounded soldiers to Cambodia but continues to hold 18 of their comrades
Cambodia on Friday welcomed the return of two wounded soldiers who had been captured by the Thai army after the two sides had already implemented a ceasefire to end five days of combat over competing territorial claims. Their repatriation comes amid accusations and bickering over whether either side had targeted civilians and breached the laws of war, and sharp nationalist feuding on social media. The rest of a 20-member group of Cambodian soldiers captured on Tuesday in one of the disputed pockets of land over which the two sides were fighting remain in Thai hands, and Cambodian officials are demanding their release. The two countries have given differing accounts of the circumstances of the capture. Cambodian officials say their soldiers approached the Thai position with friendly intentions to offer post-fighting greetings, while Thai officials said the Cambodians appeared to have hostile intent and entered what Thailand considers its territory, so were taken prisoner. Cambodian Defense Ministry Spokesperson Maly Socheata confirmed that the two wounded soldiers had been handed over at a border checkpoint between Thailand's Surin province and Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province, and urged the Thai side to promptly repatriate the remaining personnel in accordance with 'international humanitarian law.' Thailand says it has been following international legal procedures and was holding the remaining 18 soldiers until it could investigate their actions. A statement issued Friday by Thailand's 2nd Army Region identified the two repatriated Cambodian soldiers as a sergeant with a broken arm and a gash on his hip, and a second lieutenant who appeared to be suffering from battle fatigue and needed care from his family. It said both men had taken an oath not to engage in further hostilities against Thailand. Neither man has been made available for interviews by neutral third parties. There were other peaceful activities on Friday on both sides of the border as both countries staged tours of the former battle areas for foreign diplomats and other observers, highlighting damage allegedly caused by the other side. The two countries continue to accuse each other of having violated the laws of war with attacks on civilians and the illegal use of weapons. More than three dozen people, civilian and soldiers, were killed in the fighting, which in addition to infantry battles included artillery duels and the firing of truck-mounted rockets by Cambodia, to which Thailand responded with airstrikes. More than 260,000 people in total were displaced from their homes. Under the terms of the ceasefire, military representatives of both sides are supposed to meet next week to iron out details to avoid further clashes. However, the talks are not supposed to cover the competing territorial claims that are at the heart of decades-long tension between the two countries. Partisans of both sides are also waging a war of words online, with Thailand accusing Cambodia of also carrying out malicious hacking. Both countries' professional journalism societies have accused each other of spreading false information and other propaganda. ——-
North Wales Chronicle
16 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Gwynedd and Anglesey criminals who were jailed in July 2025
Ian Parry (Image: North Wales Police) Parry, 45, of North Penrallt, Caernarfon, was jailed after his XL Bully dog attacked an eight-year-old boy. Caio Shaw lost a thumb and was left 'covered in blood' following the incident. Read the full story here. Ricky Lloyd (Image: North Wales Police) Lloyd, 39, of no fixed abode, strangled his ex-partner and repeatedly banged her head on the floor of her Bangor home. He left his former partner 'on the verge of blacking out' after climbing into her home via a window. Read the full story here. Kevin Evans (Image: North Wales Police) Evans, 33, of Cae Bold, Caernarfon, was jailed after trying to 'petrol-bomb' a property in the town. CCTV footage showed that Evans had attended a Texaco garage 19 minutes before the fire, buying a green jerrycan, and filling it with petrol. Read the full story here. William Palmer (Image: North Wales Police) Palmer, 31, of New Street, Porthmadog, broke into his former partner's Anglesey home, before assaulting her and her current partner and damaging his car. He vaped during his sentencing hearing, which he appeared at via videolink from custody. Read the full story here. O'Boyle, 35, of Chapel Street, Caernarfon, did not tell his new partner that he is a convicted sex offender. He would stay at the home of his partner and her child, which constituted two breaches of his sex offenders register notification requirements. Read the full story here. Stephen Vickery (Image: North Wales Police) Vickery, 40, of Helens Crescent, Pentraeth, spat in a police officer's eye. He continued to resist being arrested before spitting directly into the eye of a police officer. Read the full story here. Mark Goodier (Image: North Wales Police) Goodier, 36, of Llanddaniel, Gaerwen, was initially jailed for two years and five months in March after he 'ransacked' a property, stole a car, and was found to have been driving another stolen vehicle. But he was then handed an extra prison sentence for not paying a fine of more than £800. Read the full story here. Deborah Tinsley (Image: North Wales Police) Tinsley, 57, of Maes Stanley, Bodelwyddan, broke into the Anglesey flat of a man who her partner used to work for, and who she believed owed him money. She then caused criminal damage to Liam Booth's belongings once inside his flat, including knocking over his TV and pouring bleach over his bed. Read the full story here. Jesse Crofts (Image: North Wales Police) Crofts, 28, of Holborn Road, Holyhead, was initially jailed for 18 months in April for cannabis possession and cocaine supply. But he was handed an extra jail term for not paying a fine. Read the full story here. These two people were a part of an organised crime group which targeted locations across the UK which stored large quantities of fuel. In September 2021, a site on Anglesey was targeted, and had £40,000 worth of fuel stolen from it. Read the full story here. Caleb Corr (Image: North Wales Police) Corr, 33, of Helens Crescent, Pentraeth, was jailed after setting fire to his own block of flats. He also threatened police and his neighbour with a knife. Read the full story here. Matthew Pritchard (Image: North Wales Police) Pritchard, 24, of Dol Eithin, Holyhead, was jailed for 'grooming' a girl with whom he repeatedly had sexual intercourse in public. His parents, sat in the public gallery, were told to stop shaking their heads during his sentencing hearing. Read the full story here. Pelrus Maas (Image: North Wales Police) Maas, 63, of no fixed abode, was jailed after returning to the UK via Holyhead Port within one day of being deported. He was said to have shown a 'flagrant disregard for court orders". Read the full story here. Jonathan Evans (Image: North Wales Police) Evans, 32, of Malltraeth, Bodorgan, was jailed for sexually abusing two boys. He previously worked in an Anglesey school and volunteered with the RAF Air Cadets. Read the full story here.
