MORE than seven kilos of cocaine, 50 mobile phones and an array of weapons have been seized in Gwent and across South Wales as part of a nationwide crackdown on 'county lines' gangs.

The activity has coincided with a national “week of intensification” which is led by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

The latest week of activity ran from Monday, October 3 to Monday, October 10.

During the week of action, officers in Gwent, South Wales and Dyfed-Powys Police forces arrested 46 people and safeguarded 24 vulnerable people.

County lines is the name given to drug dealing where organised criminal groups (OCGs) move and supply drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.

Across the three forces outcomes during the week included:

  • 46 people arrested;
  • Five lines dismantled;
  • Eight search warrants executed;
  • £34,710 cash seized;
  • 7,020g cocaine seized [with a street value of £700,000];
  • Seizure of a variety of weapons including machetes, knives, baseball bats, knuckle dusters and imitation firearms;
  • 24 vulnerable children and adults identified and safeguarded;
  • Passive drugs dog deployed to train stations in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea in partnership with British Transport Police;
  • 52 mobile phones seized.

Officers also engaged with children, parents and professionals to highlight the danger of involvement in county lines activity and delivered county lines awareness sessions to more than 1,000 multi-agency partners and 11,000 children.

Detective inspector Richard Weber, who coordinated the week of activity in South Wales, said: “Whilst we work all year to take drugs off the streets, this week has brought some substantial results.

"By disrupting supply lines and taking those involved out of circulation, we can make South Wales’s communities safer.

“We can only do this with the support and information that we get from residents so I would urge anyone with information about drug dealing in their community to call us on 101, we treat every piece of information as important.”

Nationwide, police forces have revealed that they have shut down 172 county lines operations.

This resulted in 1,360 people being arrested – and 321 weapons, more than £2.7 million worth of Class A and B drugs, and some £987,562 in cash all seized.

NPCC lead for county lines, deputy assistant commissioner Graham McNulty, said: “The latest intensification week has seen police forces from across the UK shut down more county lines used by criminals than ever before.

“Our message is clear to anyone running county lines across the country; we will be relentless in our pursuit of you, we will shut down your county lines, we will take drugs off our streets and we will rescue those who are being exploited by you.”