Gwent police implement 8 raids in fight against serious organised crime

IT was another early start for Gwent Police Officers with a briefing at 4.30am on morning, Wednesday, (Dec, 4).

Around 100 officers have been involved in Op Empire, the latest operation to take place as part of Operation Jigsaw, Gwent Police’s campaign to tackle the most serious and organised crime throughout Gwent.

At 5am, 6 warrants in the Maindee and Alway areas of Newport and 2 warrants in the New Inn and Pontymoile areas of Pontypool have been carried out and 7 people have been arrested on suspicion of Conspiracy to Supply a Class A drug and Possession of Criminal Property. They all remain in police custody at this time while investigations are ongoing.

What’s thought to be Class A drugs has been seized and they will be sent away for forensic examination and identification.  Large quantities of cash and a number of high performance vehicles have also been seized as well as designer clothing including trainers, coats and baseball caps with an estimated value in excess of £30K.

The Detective Inspector for Organised Crime, Andrew Tuck, who led on the warrants today said: “This operation has specifically looked at tackling those thought to be involved in the highest levels of organised crime and drugs supply in our communities of Gwent.

“I’d like to thank our communities once again for their support which is vital for our work to be successful. Please be reassured that we are working hard to tackle those involved in the crimes that hurt our communities most, including some of the most vulnerable people in Gwent.

“We would continue to ask for your help in letting us know when you see things that you know aren’t right. You can contact us and know it will be dealt with seriously. What may seems like a small detail to you, to Gwent Police, it could be the final piece to a much bigger puzzle.”

If you’d like to anonymously report information to us about serious and organised crime in your local areas, please call 101 or you can send us a direct message via our Facebook or Twitter social media accounts. You can also call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

#OpJigsaw