Police smash local heroin gang

 

Fifteen people – eight men and seven women - have been arrested in Welshpool and Newtown and charged with drug dealing offences following a three-month operation which targeted the flow of drugs into the area from the West Midlands.

 

Operation Marseille used an undercover officer posing as a drug user along with intelligence experts and officers from the Serious and Organised Crime Team to target dealers in the two towns.

 

Detective Inspector Greg Williams of the Serious and Organised Crime Team said: “This is an excellent example of local people highlighting a problem to the police about drug supply within their communities being acted upon and targeted using numerous policing methods including the use of an undercover police officer posing as a drug user.”

 

Deputy Chief Constable Jackie Roberts added: “Historically Montgomeryshire hasn’t had a big heroin problem, but information suggests that heroin misuse is an emerging issue in the county due to the close links with the West Midlands.

 

"This street level up operation aims to target street level markets, users, traffickers and hot spot areas. We want to disrupt, dismantle and destroy serious and organised crime, especially drug dealers and drug related crime. An operation like this forms a key part of that.”