Drug dealers get 100 years

DRUG dealers who brought misery to the streets of Cardiff have been jailed for almost 100 years following a major police operation.

Operation Michigan targeted drugs offenders in the Roath, Cathay and Splott areas of the city.
Thirty-five people have been convicted and are now serving a total of 98½ years after being arrested during the two-week operation last summer.
The majority of the offences concerned the possession and supply of crack cocaine and heroin.
Operation Michigan was designed to target user-dealers and more organised suppliers of drugs like heroin and crack cocaine in Roath and Cathays.
A similar South Wales Police operation – Operation Versailles – has been targeting drug suppliers in the Grangetown and Cardiff Bay area.

Detective chief inspector Andy Davies, head of crime investigation for Cardiff, said about Operation Michigan: “From a sentencing perspective, there is a clear indication that the supply of class A drugs is not accepted in this city by the police or the judiciary.
“These are significant sentences and are an acknowledgment of the impact that class A drugs has on communities and people’s lives.
“We can see, from our crime statistics and from the intelligence available, that we have disrupted the supply of drugs in the Cathays and Roath areas.
“However, we will not rest and urge the community to provide us with any information about drug dealing activity in their area
“There is a fear amongst criminals dealing drugs in Cardiff and there has been a noticeable reduction in crime.
“Roath and Cathays were the highest crime areas in the city and the public had told us that drugs were an issue, so we put a police initiative in place to deal with it.”
Speaking in June at the end of Operation Michigan, Chief Inspector Dave Offside, who led the operation, said: “Although crime is down in these areas, we know Roath and Cathays have higher rates of robbery, car crime and burglary than other areas of the city and there is no doubt this is linked to drug-dealing activity.
“Acting on information from the community and our own intelligence, we identified a number of individuals involved in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine in Roath and Cathays.
“I hope this will improve the quality of life for residents, who I wish to thank for their ongoing support and co-operation.
“Operation Michigan should also be a warning to anyone thinking of coming here to deal drugs. My advice is don’t do it – you will be caught.”
Officers involved in Operation Michigan included those from the drugs squad, the neighbourhood policing teams of Road and Cathays, roads policing, operational support teams, CID and the dog section.
Part of the operation included a clean-up of Wilkinson Park in Splott and Shelley Gardens in Roath in partnership with the local authority and the probation service to reduce anti-social behaviour and make the areas safer for children.
Splott councillor and former JP Clarissa Holland has first-hand experience of drug problems in the area.
She said: “About eight weeks ago, police moved into a cannabis factory opposite my house in Coveny Street and there was another one in Moorland Road.
“It is not just the drugs problem, it is the crime and anti-social problems it causes. In the past month, we have had a number of break-ins which I believe have been drug-related.
“I welcome this operation, but it has to be a continuing community effort. It has to be a partnership.”
She also advocated a “name and shame” policy for those involved in drug supply and dealing.
Youth worker John Wilson, manager of the Cathays Youth and Community Centre, welcomed the result of Operation Michigan but said they would like to work closer with the police in tackling problems affecting the area.
He said they had a place on their management board which they would like to see taken up by a police officer.
“I have been here long enough to remember the punks of the 1980s. Then we had glue sniffing and every kind of soft drugs use. We have now hit a calm plateau.
“We adopt a policy of education. We reject the drug but not the person. If we are aware of issues concerning drugs, we offer counselling and direct the person to people who can help.”
Chris Franks, Plaid Cymru AM for South Wales Central whose area in includes Cathays, Roath and Splott, said: “This was a most important and impressive operation.
“But it is important that it is not just a one-off.
“It must be sustained and for that to happen the police and the community must work together.”