A member of an organised crime operation that trafficked cocaine across the Southwest has had his sentence increased, after the Solicitor General intervened.
Stephen Wills, 36, from Bridford, Exeter, has had his sentence increased by five years under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme, following an intervention by the Solicitor General Lucy Rigby KC MP.
The court heard that between 2019 and 2020, Wills was part of two organised crime groups that trafficked tens of thousands of pounds-worth of cocaine across the country.
The group delivered drugs from a foreign crime group operating in London to drug dealers around Exeter.
Wills played a significant role operating from the rented farmhouse where he lived with his family, using the outbuildings to store and package cocaine and to harvest and produce cannabis.
Police discovered this when the offender was stopped in his vehicle and arrested on 1 May 2020.
A subsequent investigation of the property found several firearms, ammunition and more than a quarter kilogram of cocaine, with a wholesale value of over £46,000.
The court also heard that Wills had 33 previous convictions, including for firearm offences. Wills was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition for five years in 2018. In 2021, he was convicted for three offences relating to possession of an air rifle and ammunition
The Solicitor General Lucy Rigby KC MP said:
This offender was part of two organised crime gangs which trafficked significant quantities of drugs across the country.
We know that the impact of organised crime on our communities is devastating and I welcome the Court's decision to increase Wills' sentence following my intervention."
On 13 March 2025, Stephen Wills was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment at Exeter Crown Court after he was sentenced for conspiracy to supply and possession with intent to supply class A and B drugs and possession of a prohibited firearm.
On 5 June 2025, Wills' sentence was increased from nine years to 14 years after it was referred to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence
