North Wales Police are cracking down on drugs supply in Flintshire.

‘Op Luxuries’ was the name given to the local tactics of organised criminal gangs from the Merseyside area who were bringing class A drugs into Mold and the surrounding area.

Since April, the South Flintshire Safer Neighbourhoods team has ensured that more suspicious individuals are being targeted locally and there has been an increase in stop and search operations, as well as an increase in search warrants in the area.

Op Luxuries was South Flintshire’s proactive response within the Eastern Intelligence Unit towards ‘County Lines’, which involves urban dealers expanding their drugs businesses into smaller town markets, operating the whole system remotely through the use of specific mobile numbers.

They obtain the phone in the city, then send individuals to live for longer times in urban areas, exploiting children and vulnerable couriers to move drugs and money between new markets and their urban hub.

The single telephone number, which becomes the group’s brand, is not changed on a regular basis but is maintained and protected.

Officers says that over the last few years the trickle of city drug gangs heading into different areas has “turned into a flood”.

Through Op Luxuries, NWP South Flintshire has been able to recover mobile phones used by criminal gangs.

Following this success, Op Luxuries has been shut down after seven people were charged with drugs conspiracy last week after being accused of directly bringing drugs into Flintshire. Five from Merseyside and two from Mold.

Officers at Mold Police Station highlighted that the seriousness of offences such as these could potentially lead to life imprisonment.

Following the closure of Op Luxuries, a new operation – Op Blake – has been launched to help raise awareness of drug supplying within the area, and ‘cuckooing,’ the term used to describe practice where professional drug dealers take over the property of a vulnerable person and use it as a place from which to run their drugs business.

Sgt Emma Prevete of the Safer Neighbourhoods Team said: “People should be aware of suspicious vehicles, increased activity in the area, unexpected people in the area, or someone who has befriended a particularly vulnerable person. Also watch out for people who come to the area in the early hours.”

The other new drug-related operation within South Flintshire is ‘Op Glittery,’ which concerns the drug supply to young people under 17-years-old.

Sgt Prevete said: “This relates to peer group pressure and the appeal to young people (in the form of) ecstasy tablets with designer stamps which can be attractive to young people.

“After three young girls had adverse reactions – not fatal – in the past couple of months, this new operation deals with the growing trend which is being dealt from somewehere and we need more information.”

If you think you have spotted something suspicious or are concerned about
drug-related crime within the area, call NWP on 101 or 999 in an emergency, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on
0800 555 111.