For drug gangs peddling illegal substances throughout Wales their phone numbers are a vital cog in the wheel of their criminal networks. The numbers, known as lines, are given coded names and are used by dealers to send out bulk 'text bombs' to customers and organise the distribution and delivery of illegal drugs.
The practice has become increasingly prevalent as part of the drug-dealing phenomenon known as county lines which sees organised crime groups in large cities in England target cities and towns around Wales for their illegal operations. The drug line numbers will flood messages out to perhaps hundreds of drug users in an area at once with the substances being delivered to the area in bulk for onward sale.
Often those higher up the chain will get their local runners to use vulnerable people to perform street deals for them or they will 'cuckoo' their homes by taking them over and using them as bases. Here are some of the drugs lines which have been taken down by police in Wales and the people and operations behind them.
