FOUR members of a crime gang who made nearly a million pounds flooding the South Monmouthshire and Wyedean area with drugs will have to pay back next to nothing, after no trace of the money could be found.

Two of the quartet were deemed to have no assets and were told to pay just £1 each.

The other two were said to have £1,400 and £225 to their names, which a judge at Cardiff Crown Court ordered them to pay up or serve more jail time.

Eight members of the Chepstow and Forest-based gang were sentenced to a total of 37 years last January, although the suspected kingpin was still wanted by police and suspected to be on the run in Columbia or Venezuela.

A Proceeds of Crime hearing at Cardiff Crown Court last week heard that four of the gang had made £935,000 between them dealing cocaine, amphetamine, ketamine and cannabis.

Charlie Linstead, 28, of Alice Crescent, Thornwell, Chepstow, who was handed a suspended jail sentence in January, made £338,554, the court heard, but has no assets and was ordered to pay £1.

Helga Boehm, 48, of High Street, Cinderford, who was jailed for four years and 10 months, profited by £265,586, but similarly was ordered to pay just £1.

A court heard earlier this year that she was the mother of suspected conspiracy kingpin Paul Harris, who "has links to the Chepstow and Magor areas” and is thought to be "on the run in South America after fleeing the country".

Peter Wright, 33, of Channel View, Bulwark, Chepstow, who was jailed for five years and one month, benefited to the tune of £145,367 but only has assets of £225, which he was ordered to hand over or serve another seven days behind bars.

Lucy Hart, 27, also of Channel View, Bulwark, who received a suspended jail term, profited by £185,660, but only has £1,400 which she was ordered to pay or serve 28 days in jail.

The sentencing hearing last January heard that drugs were trafficked into the area from Spain.

Also jailed for five years and seven months was Boehm's partner and Paul Harris' stepfather Andrew Harris.

A Gwent Police spokesperson said at the time: “Between February and October 2021, we carried out enforcement activities throughout the south of Monmouthshire which led to the seizure of drugs, cash and mobile phones.

“The phones seized not only showed their owners’ significant involvement in the supply of drugs, it also showed all those who worked with them.

“Over the two-year long investigation, we carried out eight warrants and more than £50,000 worth of class A and B drugs were seized, along with over £40,000 of cash.

"In one warrant alone, £38,000 was found in a money safe disguised as a book.”

Detective Chief Inspector Steven Thomas added: "We have successfully dismantled a major drugs gang who are now behind bars for their parts in peddling misery across South Wales and Gloucestershire.

“These men and women were not simply dealing drugs to feed their own addiction, they had made the decision to become involved in the supply of large quantities of harmful drugs to make money for themselves at the expense of others."