MORE than £350,000 will be paid between three men who involved in illegally transferring more than 200,000kg of chicken out of an Anglesey factory.

In February, Caernarfon Crown Court heard that, between 2019 and 2021, oyster-cut chicken thighs were secretly delivered from 2 Sisters Food Group’s Llangefni base to Townsend Poultry in Wolverhampton.

Rana Dhaia, 58, of Ambergate Road, Wolverhampton, was jailed for four years and three months, while Darren Williams, 47, of Y Garth, Llanerchymedd, and Elliot Smith, 33, of Rhos y Gear Avenue, Holyhead, were both sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, suspended for the same time period.

Today (October 25), at Caernarfon Crown Court (sitting at Llandudno Magistrates’ Court), the amount that each of the defendants profited from their criminal activity, and that each will repay, was outlined.

Dhaia was found to have benefited £346,061.93, and will pay back £235,795.00 of this.

From documentation recovered, some 209,245kg of chicken had been delivered from 2 Sisters to Dhaia, who was found guilty after trial of acquiring criminal property.

Williams and Smith were identified as having arranged for the chicken to be supplied to Townsend Poultry, a business which was being run by Dhaia.

Dhaia has three months to pay this amount, or he risks a 30-month period in default.

Williams profited £317,408.85, and will repay £115,047.63 within the next three months, or he could face a year in default.

He and Smith both admitted charges of fraud by abuse of position, while Williams also pleaded guilty to transferring criminal property.

Audits were commenced at 2 Sisters, but no formal business records of any deliveries to Townsend Poultry were found, because Williams and/or Smith had destroyed any trace of them.

Both had management roles at the Llangefni site at the time of the offending, with Williams having been contacted by Dhaia about wanting chicken breast fillets supplied at a cost below market value.

Smith benefited £43,341.06, and will pay £5,853.75 within three months, or he risks the same time period in default.

This amounts to a total sum to be paid of £356,696.38, as ordered by Judge Nicola Jones at today’s hearing.

Bank records showed that, from February 2019 to July 2021, Dhaia sent £259,290 to Williams’ bank account across 140 transfers.

Smith, when interviewed, confirmed he would also receive cash payments from Williams for his assistance in the operation.

It is estimated that 2 Sisters, which shut its Llangefni site last year, could have received roughly £300,000 for these deliveries if they were carried out legitimately.