Operation Seal Bay

In 1983 a sleepy fishing village in West Wales became the unlikely setting for an audacious drug smuggling plot worth millions of pounds. A gang of international drug runners planned to traffic tonnes of cannabis via the remote Pembrokeshire coastline. But the smugglers overlooked the inquisitive locals and dogged rural detectives who hunt them down.

What begins as a rural investigation eventually leads the local police on an international adventure involving speed boats, supercars with hidden panels, mansions with buried treasure and a cast of eccentric characters. Told by the people who were there, this is the story of how a small Welsh community and a local police force came together to take on an international drugs ring.

In this fifth episode, the Welsh detectives are in a race against time to track down the last member of the smuggling gang before the court case begins.

CREDITS Includes extracts from the book “Operation Seal Bay” by Pat Molloy Narrator: Hannah Daniel Producer and Editor: James Hale Executive Producer: Steve Robinson Researcher: Tane Rogers-Eirug Music and Sound Design: James Hale Additional Musicians: Lowri Mair Jones and Mark Foley Actors: Llinor ap Gwynedd, Aneirin Hughes, John Rowley, Gruff Harries and Scheiffer Bates Additional Mixing & Mastering: Hoot Studios

A Lazerbeam production for BBC Sounds

In 1983 a sleepy fishing village in West Wales became the unlikely setting for an audacious drug smuggling plot worth millions of pounds. A gang of international drug runners planned to traffic tonnes of cannabis via the remote Pembrokeshire coastline. But the smugglers overlooked the inquisitive locals and dogged rural detectives who hunt them down.

What begins as a rural investigation eventually leads the local police on an international adventure involving speed boats, supercars with hidden panels, mansions with buried treasure and a cast of eccentric characters. Told by the people who were there, this is the story of how a small Welsh community and a local police force came together to take on an international drugs ring.

In this final episode we hear how the court case unfolds as the two legal teams do battle. While the Prosecution is confident with their case, nothing can prepare them for the extraordinary testimony the alleged smuggling gang boss has planned that might just get everyone off the hook.

CREDITS Includes extracts from the book “Operation Seal Bay” by Pat Molloy Narrator: Hannah Daniel Producer and Editor: James Hale Music and Sound Design: James Hale Executive Producer: Steve Robinson Researcher: Tane Rogers-Eirug Additional Musicians: Lowri Mair Jones and Mark Foley Actors: Llinor ap Gwynedd, Aneirin Hughes, John Rowley, Gruff Harries and Scheiffer Bates Additional Mixing & Mastering: Hoot Studios

A Lazerbeam production for BBC Sounds

In 1983 a sleepy Pembrokeshire fishing village became the unlikely setting for an audacious drug smuggling plot worth millions of pounds. A gang of international drug runners planned to traffic tonnes of cannabis via the remote coastline of West Wales. But the smugglers overlooked one important thing: the inquisitive locals and dogged rural detectives who hunt them down.

The investigation leads the local police on an international adventure involving speed boats, supercars with hidden panels, mansions with buried treasure and a cast of eccentric characters. Told by the people who were there, this is the story of how a small Welsh community and a local police force came together to take on an international drugs ring.

In this third episode, with three suspects now in custody but the cannabis still missing, the detectives are in a race against time to prove the drugs smuggle is real. It’s an adventure that will lead them to a Rolls Royce driving cocaine dealer, mansions with buried treasure and the discovery of a yacht with a colourful history.

CREDITS Includes extracts from the book “Operation Seal Bay” by Pat Molloy Narrator: Hannah Daniel Producer and Editor: James Hale Executive Producer: Steve Robinson Researcher: Tane Rogers-Eirug Music and Sound Design: James Hale Additional Musicians: Lowri Mair Jones and Mark Foley Actors: Llinor ap Gwynedd, Aneirin Hughes, John Rowley, Gruff Harries and Scheiffer Bates Additional Mixing & Mastering: Hoot Studios

A Lazerbeam production for BBC Sounds.

In 1983 a sleepy fishing village in West Wales became the unlikely setting for an audacious drug smuggling plot worth millions of pounds. A gang of international drug runners planned to traffic tonnes of cannabis via the remote Pembrokeshire coastline. But the smugglers overlooked the inquisitive locals and dogged rural detectives who hunt them down.

What begins as a rural investigation eventually leads the local police on an international adventure involving speed boats, supercars with hidden panels, mansions with buried treasure and a cast of eccentric characters. Told by the people who were there, this is the story of how a small Welsh community and a local police force came together to take on an international drugs ring.

In this fourth episode, for the very first time the Welsh member of the gang speaks, revealing the truth behind the drug smuggling plan.

CREDITS Includes extracts from the book “Operation Seal Bay” by Pat Molloy Narrator: Hannah Daniel Producer and Editor: James Hale Executive Producer: Steve Robinson Researcher: Tane Rogers-Eirug Music and Sound Design: James Hale Additional Musicians: Lowri Mair Jones and Mark Foley Actors: Llinor ap Gwynedd, Aneirin Hughes, John Rowley, Gruff Harries and Scheiffer Bates Additional Mixing & Mastering: Hoot Studios

A Lazerbeam production for BBC Sounds

In 1983 a sleepy Pembrokeshire fishing village became the unlikely setting for an audacious drug smuggling plot worth millions of pounds. A gang of international drug runners planned to traffic tonnes of cannabis via the remote coastline of West Wales. But the smugglers overlooked one important thing: the inquisitive locals and dogged rural detectives who hunt them down.

The investigation leads the local police on an international adventure involving speed boats, supercars with hidden panels, mansions with buried treasure and a cast of eccentric characters. Told by the people who were there, this is the story of how a small Welsh community and a local police force came together to take on an international drugs ring.

In this first episode, the local farmers and fisherman of Newport make a series of strange discoveries. Oddly dressed men traipsing over private clifftop farmland. Expensive marine equipment found at a cove only accessible by boat. And a hatch hidden in the shingle of another beach, which leads to a huge underground chamber…

CREDITS Includes extracts from the book “Operation Seal Bay” by Pat Molloy Narrator: Hannah Daniel Producer and Editor: James Hale Executive Producer: Steve Robinson Researcher: Tane Rogers-Eirug Music and Sound Design: James Hale Additional Musicians: Lowri Mair Jones and Mark Foley Actors: Llinor ap Gwynedd, Aneirin Hughes, John Rowley, Gruff Harries and Scheiffer Bates Additional Mixing & Mastering: Hoot Studios

A Lazerbeam production for BBC Sounds.

In 1983 a sleepy fishing village in West Wales became the unlikely setting for an audacious drug smuggling plot worth millions of pounds. A gang of international drug runners planned to traffic tonnes of cannabis via the remote Pembrokeshire coastline. But the smugglers overlooked an important detail: the inquisitive locals and dogged rural detectives who hunt them down.

What begins as a rural investigation eventually leads the local police on an international adventure involving speed boats, supercars with hidden panels, mansions with buried treasure and a cast of eccentric characters. Told by the people who were there, this is the story of how a small Welsh community and a local police force came together to take on an international drugs ring.

In this second episode, the local detectives begin to close in on the gang with the help of intelligence from the observant locals. The two men already in custody reveal some strange coincidences under questioning and a third man is arrested. He’s caught after a high-speed chase that nearly ends in him falling to his death. Back at the station, he tells detectives “When you find out who I am you will have a very big surprise.”

CREDITS Includes extracts from the book “Operation Seal Bay” by Pat Molloy Narrator: Hannah Daniel Producer and Editor: James Hale Executive Producer: Steve Robinson Researcher: Tane Rogers-Eirug Music and Sound Design: James Hale Additional Musicians: Lowri Mair Jones and Mark Foley Actors: Llinor ap Gwynedd, Aneirin Hughes, John Rowley, Gruff Harries and Scheiffer Bates Additional Mixing & Mastering: Hoot Studios

A Lazerbeam production for BBC Sounds.

In 1983 one of the biggest and most complex drug conspiracies in British history rocked a small fishing village in West Wales. A gang of international smugglers attempted to traffic tonnes of cannabis via the sleepy Pembrokeshire coast. But nothing gets past the inquisitive locals and once the rural police detectives are on their case, it's only a matter of time before the game is up.

The story begins when locals spot unusual strangers around the fishing village of Newport, Pembrokeshire. Over a series of weeks, they’re seen walking on remote coastal paths and private farming land. They wear flash clothes and drive expensive cars. They splash £50 notes in the local pubs, eating lobster and drinking Bloody Marys. After more sightings of the men on remote beaches only accessible by boat and the discovery of a secret underground chamber, the local community team up with the police to capture the gang, one by one. Refusing to talk, the detectives are forced to work out the smugglers’ plan by tracking down the evidence.

What happens next is a rip-roaring caper that sends the Welsh detectives on an international investigation to the Isle of Man, France, Spain, Denmark and Morocco as they attempt to decipher more and more clues. It’s an adventure involving sailing yachts, speeds boats, supercars with hidden panels, mansions with buried treasures and a cast of eccentric characters with extraordinary pasts. There’s the ex-public school boy yachtsman who’s thought to be one of the world’s most prolific smugglers. A handsome Danish millionaire who’s so good at disguises he’s known as the Man with the Rubber Face. And there’s a Rolls Royce driving playboy, a suspected cocaine trafficker with links to a Lebanese arms dealer.

Told by the people who were there, this is the story of how a small Welsh community and a local police force came together to take on an international drugs ring.