More than 340 people have been arrested in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot in the last 12 months as part of a major police operation to target out-of-town gangs trafficking drugs into the area.
South Wales Police's Operation Newry was set up to combat what is known as County Lines dealing, where organised criminal gangs from big English cities extend the networks into smaller cities and towns.
The big three sources of such criminality in south Wales are Liverpool, Birmingham, and London.
Police said that in the last year officers had arrested 344 people suspected of being involved in the gangs, seized drugs with a street value of £450,000, and recovered 45 weapons. Some £75,000 in cash has also being seized.
Prison sentences totalling more than 215 years have so far been handed down, with more prosecutions in the pipeline.
Don't miss anything! Sign up for regular updates from WalesOnline
There's often so much information to take in right now, it can be hard to know what to look out for.
So if you want to stay up to date with all the latest news from varying aspects of Welsh life, you can sign up to one of our newsletters as a simple way to keep on top of things.
You'll receive a curated email, with all the important stories - and stories which interest you - in one place.
We send a range of newsletters each day - sometimes twice a day - on the latest news, up-to-the-minute stories and information on coronavirus as well as the latest Cardiff City, Swansea City, and Welsh rugby sports stories.
We also send out some newsletters on a weekly basis: for example our What's On newsletter, or our In Case You Missed It email, helping you catch up with any stories you might have missed.
Our current range of newsletters includes:
- News
- Swansea news
- Cardiff City FC
- Swansea City FC
- What's On
- Rugby
- In Case You Missed It
- Reach tickets
To sign up for one - or even all - of these newsletters is easy and completely free.
Just click on this link to our newsletter sign-up centre. Once you're there put your email address where it says 'email' at the top then click on the newsletters you want to receive.
When you've made your choice press the 'update' preference button at the bottom.
That's it. Your emails will come through to your inbox from that moment on.
So sign up for a WalesOnline newsletter to make sure you know what's going on in our brilliant country and around the world.
Detective superintendent Gareth Morgan said the force remained committed to ensuring Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot were a "hostile environment" for the gangs to operate in.
He said: "These figures represent the excellent work and proactivity that takes place within the Swansea and Neath Port Talbot areas to target those involved in drug supply who cause misery to individuals, families and communities.
"Disruption of the drug dealing and enforcement remains central to tackling county lines criminality with the ultimate aim to make South Wales a hostile environment for organised crime groups, preventing all forms of harm associated with these gangs.
"We are also working together with partner agencies to identify and protect the vulnerable people that urban gangs are exploiting to extend their drug dealing enterprise.
"These individuals care for no one other than themselves and do not care about the misery they inflict on others, even those they class as friends and family. Their sole purpose is to make money and protect themselves."
How organised crime gangs are targeting Welsh towns and cities in county lines operations
Organised crime gangs based in large English cities are extending their operations into small cities and towns around Wales using a method of working dubbed "county lines" by police.
This involves gangs identifying vulnerable people in their target towns, then taking over their houses or flats though intimidation, drug debts or sexual violence, and using the properties as bases to deal drugs from. This part of the plan is known as "cuckooing".
The gangs then install trusted operatives to oversee the local operations and use a network of local street dealers to carry out the transactions.
Often vulnerable people are trafficked to the target towns to work for the gang – as happened when members of the notorious London gang Dem Africans transported a teenage girl to Swansea and held her prisoner in a flat in Penlan, forcing her to store drugs inside her body for them.
Couriers are used to get the drugs to the target towns and then addicts use a mobile number controlled by the gang to place their "orders" which are delivered by local dealers.
He added: "We all have a role to play in keeping our local areas safe from drug dealing, and associated gang exploitation and violence and I urge the community to support us in eradicating this problem.
"If you suspect drug dealing is taking place or you are concerned that a young person or vulnerable adult may have been targeted by an organised crime group, please tell us. You don’t have to be certain, just concerned."
Can you help? Call South Wales Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111
