6. The Last of the Gentlemen Smugglers

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