A Welsh police force has seized £5 million worth of drugs and found six large cannabis factories in Cardiff. Officers on South Wales Police's Op Sceptre Team - a specialist knife crime team - have also made 189 arrests, seized £123k in cash and taken 92 weapons off the streets between April 2022 and April 2023.
During this financial year, specialist officers in Cardiff have already seized more than £1 million worth of drugs off the streets. The force said this was through discovering six large cannabis factories, one in Whitchurch, three in Roath and two in Cathays.
Drugs were also seized during police stops. In one case, a quarter of a kilo of cocaine was found in a car and around £2,000 of cash was found in the driver’s home in Penarth Road. A 32-year-old man was charged with drugs offences and remanded in custody.
A 35-year-old man from the West Midlands - who was believed to be driving towards Cardiff Bay - was stopped on Rover Way by police due to being a disqualified driver. The force discovered 15 kilos of cannabis and a knife found in his vehicle, and an ounce of heroin in his underpants. The suspect was charged with drugs and driving offences.
Superintendent Tom Moore, from South Wales Police, said: “This combined effort of enforcement and education is helping to keep our streets safe and protect those being exploited.
“These latest figures highlight how the Op Sceptre Team continue to pursue those involved in serious violence and associated criminality.
“People often talk of cannabis as being a victimless crime, but it’s not. Organised crime is behind many of these cannabis factories. The criminals are earning a lot of money off the back of our communities, and they protect their plantations by using violence and intimidation.”
The Op Sceptre Team's work also goes alongside the force’s anti-knife crime campaign ‘Not The One.’ This campaign helps to educate children on the dangers and consequences of carrying a knife, and gets communities involved in helping to reduce knife crime.
Anyone with suspicions or information about knife crime and associated criminality is urged to contact the force via:
- Live Chat https://www.south-wales.police.uk/
- Report online https://www.south-wales.police.uk/ro/report
- Email swp101@south-wales.police.uk
- 101
Always call 999 in an emergency. You can visit the Not The One campaign website here nottheone.co.uk.
