Welsh plumber sentenced for plot to ship ketamine and cocaine to New Zealand via rope

During a remote hearing at Swansea Crown Court, prosecutors presented evidence that Gavin Smith, a 44-year-old former plumber residing in a caravan in Pontlliw, was linked to an elaborate drug-smuggling operation after his March 28 arrest on unrelated matters. Searches of his caravan uncovered vacuum-packed cannabis, ketamine, cocaine, psilocybin, a drug press and other processing equipment, while a rented unit at Hendy Industrial Park held additional cannabis, cash and a crypto-wallet seed phrase.

Encrypted Signal chats revealed Smith negotiating with a New Zealand contact known as “The Baron” to ship kilograms of ketamine at £2,000 per kilo and cocaine at £4,000 per kilo, hidden inside hollowed-out rope and sealed for export. The Baron confirmed receipt of rope shipments and discussed scaling up deliveries, though no cocaine was proven to have been dispatched. Smith pleaded guilty to conspiracy to export ketamine and cocaine, cannabis supply, possession of several drugs and criminal property tied to £5,763 in crypto funds. He received a six-year-nine-month prison term, with two-thirds to be served in custody and a subsequent proceeds-of-crime investigation ordered.