SOUTH WALES FACES DRUGS TURF WAR

Drug traffickers seeking fresh markets for heroin and crack cocaine are
looking to south Wales, provoking fears that Yardie gangs are on the verge
of a turf war there, a chief constable warned yesterday.

Sir Anthony Burden, who is in charge of the south Wales force, said the
region was unprepared for a fight against dealers and that some cities
would soon resemble "the New York of old" unless drastic action were taken
to counter the problem.

His fear that Wales has been targeted by criminal cartels has been borne
out by recent crime figures which show a surge in the number of heroin
seizures and an alarming rise in class A drug related deaths.

In the 10 months to February heroin seizures in south Wales rose by 84% and
arrests for supply rose by 83%.

With the help of the national criminal intelligence service the force has
identified six "home grown" gangs that are peddling drugs in the region,
and uncovered evidence that criminals abroad are preparing to compete for
the territory.

Rivalry has driven down prices to such a degree that south Wales now has
the cheapest heroin and cocaine in Britain. Sir Anthony said the next step
in the cycle would be drive-by shootings and an increase in gun related
crime as gangs squared up to each other.

Though there have always been drug problems in south Wales, police are
concerned that traffickers are beginning to target the area as they did
Bristol, London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester.

There is already strong evidence showing that Yardie drugs dealers in
Jamaica, a hub for the smuggling of crack cocaine, have made a recent push
in south Wales, believing it to be ripe territory, said Sir Anthony. He
added: "The New York of old will be the streets of south Wales if we don't
wake up to the growing menace of heroin and cocaine use in our communities.

"We have been dealing with the tragedy of drug related deaths in our
communities for a long time, but now this is moving into a whole new ball
game and we can't just sit back and let it happen. We cannot bury our heads
in the sand, it has happened elsewhere and we are no different."

He said that police in Bristol "saw a complete change in the complexion of
their city in just two weeks" when it was targeted by gangs.

"What our intelligence gathering shows us over the last couple of months is
that we are now facing similar problems and I think the public has a right
to know.

"From a policing perspective we want to hold back the level of organised
crime in south Wales and not see the violence happening here that's been
seen elsewhere. This is a wake-up call. Heroin and cocaine use is already
ripping our communities apart. The scale of violence, the volume of crime
and the gun culture that goes with the organised crime territory, could
destroy them."

Sir Anthony announced that his assistant chief constable, David Francis,
was to lead a team of detectives from Welsh police forces and the national
criminal intelligence service, to develop an action plan to defeat the
gangs. He also called on the Welsh assembly to take a lead in tackling the
problem.

He said that agencies had to act quickly to educate youngsters about the
pitfalls of drug-taking and to provide better treatment for the victims of
drug abuse.