Wrexham man jailed on drug and dangerous driving offences following 130mph pursuit

Maredudd Francis, of Coed Aben, Wrexham, was jailed for four years and four months after pleading guilty to dangerous driving, possession with intent to supply class A drugs (cocaine), possession with intent to supply class B drugs (cannabis) and possession of criminal property.

Alongside his custodial sentence, the 31-year-old was handed a two-year driving disqualification that will come into effect upon his release from prison. He will also need to take an extended test before he is allowed back on the road.

The case began on 29 September 2024, when a Cheshire Police officer attempted to stop a grey BMW 325 on the M56 that was being driven by Francis, whose partner was also in the passenger seat.

The BMW had been travelling from the North Wales area and was believed to be linked to the supply of illegal drugs, leading the officer to signal to the vehicle to follow them off the motorway at junction 11 for Daresbury.

Francis initially complied, following the patrol car up the slip road before he accelerated onto a traffic island, narrowly missing a HGV, and re-joining the motorway he had left just moments ago.

A pursuit was declared with the officer activating emergency systems and giving chase along the motorway where speeds of up to 139mph were reached as the BWM weaved between traffic.

The chase came to a conclusion at junction 10 for Stretton, when the BMW left the motorway via the slip road, went through a red light and onto a traffic island where it collided with a Toyota Hilux truck.

Remarkably, neither the occupants of the Hilux nor the BMW sustained serious injuries.

Francis was subsequently arrested for dangerous driving. He was then further arrested on suspicion of money laundering after a large quantity of cash wrapped in a rubber band was found in the passenger footwell that Francis admitted belonged to him.

Francis was again further arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of drugs after he was observed attempting to snap a phone that had been located by officers searching his car whilst he was in handcuffs.

Cheshire officers subsequently travelled to North Wales to conduct a warrant at an address linked to Francis. During the search officers discovered approximately 8.6kg worth of cocaine, with a potential street value of over £317k, along with around 380kg of cannabis estimated to be worth up to £3.5k.

Around £10k in cash, approximately 1000 cigarettes, a Rolex watch and a pair of Versace sunglasses were also found inside a navy suitcase that belonged to Francis.

Despite this considerable amount of drugs and other criminal paraphernalia being found within his associated addresses, Francis refused to accept any responsibility and answered with "no comment" to every question posed to him, including as to whether he felt any remorse for his actions.

Despite his denial, he later pleaded guilty to the charges of possession with intent to supply class A drugs (cocaine), possession with intent to supply class B drugs (cannabis), possession of criminal property and dangerous driving the following day.

He appeared at Mold Crown Court on Tuesday 28 January, where he was jailed for 52 months.

Following sentencing, Police Constable AJ Reid, who engaged in the pursuit of Francis on the M56, said:

"Maredudd Francis' blatant disregard for the safety of not only himself and his partner who was in the car with him, but the other road users on the M56 when he decided to drive at frankly ludicrous speeds, is a testament to how guilty he was and how he thought he could get away with his crimes scot-free.

"The evidence we subsequently found in his vehicle after his arrest, paired with considerable lengths Mr Francis went to attempting to destroy one of his phones that we seized from him whilst he was in handcuffs, led our us to believe that we were dealing with serious drug dealing operation.

"Our suspicions were proven when our subsequent searches found a myriad of both class A and class B substances in his associated address, along with copious amounts of cash, designer goods and apparatus synonymous with drug supply.

“Cheshire Constabulary's various teams who were involved in bringing Francis to justice remain committed to disrupting the illegal drugs supply all over the northern area of the county. This is just one of many results which show we are cracking down on this illegal activity which damages so many peoples lives."