RESIDENTS of a proud seaside community are living in fear as brazen drug dealers from across the country target its most vulnerable people.
The Butetown district, just minutes from Cardiff City centre, has become a hotspot for county-lines dealers, with police arresting more than 500 gang members since the end of 2024.
Sign up for The Jattvibe newsletter
Thank you!
Ricardo Brown, Dylan Stranger, Adam Lewis, Ieuan Coombes, Jaydon Watkins, Levi Robson, Thomas Haysham, Sam Hatton were jailed for more than 45 years Credit: South Wales Police
People living in Butetown fear drug dealers are still operating in the shadows Credit: Huw Evans
But despite the cops’ success, members of the tight-knit community fear out of town dealers are still operating in the shadows, grooming teenagers and even cuckooing its most vulnerable.
It would be hard to find a community as proud of its people and reputation for being as multi-cultural as Butetown.
But its spirit is being tested to the limits after years of out of town drug dealers flooding the area with dangerous substances.
The Jattvibe visited Butetown, where some residents claimed they still fear for their safety on the streets they call home, though most were reluctant to be identified for fear of reprisals.
LOCALS’ FURY
Inside Belfast’s tinderbox where migrants ask ‘which way to free money bank?’
BULLET STORM
The gun crime ‘arms race’ haunting UK city as innocent locals are slaughtered
One woman told us she had lived in Butetown all her life. She said: “In the 1950s it was idyllic, there were people from everywhere and therewere over 40 different languages being spoken, everyone knew each other and we lived in a state of harmony. It didn’t matter what your culture was.
“Many of those residents wouldn’t recognise it today. One day we woke up and that’s when it all changed.
“There are drug deals, with all sorts changing hands in certain pockets of the community, and those spots change from time to time and move somewhere different. We’ve all seen it happening, but it’s not people from here.
“There have been lots of different cars coming and going that we’ve never seen before, especially late at night, not cars we normally see.
Dealers would pose with rented supercars Credit: South Wales Police
The area is also affected by cuckooing, which sees drug dealers take over the homes of vulnerable people Credit: Huw Evans
“The first time I heard the word ‘cuckooing’ was when there was a vulnerable person whose home had been taken over, and strangers were seen going in and out of the house at all hours.
“The 500 arrests are shocking and hard to believe. I’ve lived here all my life and I’m in a den of thieves. I’m really aware of where I’m walking and stick to the road when it’s dark in the winter so there are other people around.
“The drug dealing should have been eradicated, but it hasn’t been, it still goes on in front of our eyes. We don’t have burglaries or assaults, just drug dealing gangs coming in.”
Cuckooing is the term used to describe how drug dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person, using it to either store drugs, money or weapons or as a base for criminal activity.
Organised crime groups, known as County Lines gangs, operate in the area. Their typical model is moving large amounts of drugs from one area to another and exploiting children as young as nine to store or sell drugs for them, often using violence or weapons to exert control.
One unnamed mother told The Jattvibe: “Twice in the past three months I have seen a man dressed all in black running past my house and jumping the wall at the end of the row of houses. The first time he was being chased by a police officer and I’m sure he was a county lines drug dealer.
“It’s very scary and worrying. I like living here and the people who live here are lovely, it’s very diverse, it doesn’t matter where you come from, everyone is friendly and a lovely community.
“But I can’t let my 14-year-old go to the shops to get milk or anything, even though he’s 6ft 6ins, because these types of people coming in to deal drugs also carry knives and anything could happen.”
Violence and fights between rival criminals has also affected the area Credit: South Wales Police
Hussain Samater (who did not want his face to be pictured) says things have gotten better Credit: Huw Evans
In the local park, Hussain Samater, 44, a taxi driver and member of the Noor El Islam mosque was litter picking with another member of the mosque.
He said: “Since the police arrested hundreds of the gang members there has definitely been an improvement.
“We were overrun by drug users and it was a huge problem. There would be large groups hanging around certain areas doing it openly, there was a lot of fighting, shouting, police being called and drug dealers driving around in their cars.
“We used to pick up lots of needles from the park. We eat and pray here and we would have to come and remove all the drug paraphernalia before families and their children came to sit on the grass or play in the park.
“We didn’t used to be able to let our kids out and avoided certain areas at night, but it does seem safer now.
“I think for a while, as it became known police were targeting Butetown the dealers and users avoided the area.”
The total number of arrests to date is 518 gang members, with three county lines operations shut down and a total of 100 years of prison time handed down to 69 drug dealers.
Further prosecutions are still going through the court process.
The police operation also uncovered drug dealing paraphernalia Credit: heddlu-de-cymru.police.uk
The Cardiff neighbourhood is one of the oldest diverse places in the country Credit: Huw Evans
Cops made 518 arrests as part of the Clear Hold Build partnership plan, backed by the Home Office, in response to daily reports of drug-dealing, violent crime and related anti-social behaviour reported in the neighbourhood of Butetown.
They also seized ‘substantial’ amounts of Class A and B drugs, weapons,paraphernalia and cash.
Among those jailed over the last two years are nine members of a major drugs network, led by Butetown’s Ricardo Brown.
The ‘MJ’ drug line recruited teenagers and young adults as runners, often riding e-bikes to deliver drugs and collect cash. The men were jailed for a total of 45 years in January.
Butetown has a high crime rate, at 84 crimes per 1,000 people, compared to the national average of 73 crimes per 1,000 in the rest of South Glamorgan.
Latest figures show 17 drugs crimes were reported in February this year.
Butetown, formerly known as Tiger Bay, grew from a small population of 1,000 to 10,000 during the 19th century in response to the industrial boom.
People from around the world moved to Cardiff to work in the exportation of steel and coal.
By the 1950s there were people of 57 different nationalities living in theneighbourhood, including Somalian, Norwegian, Yemeni, Spanish, Italian, Greek and Caribbean.
It has several different places of worship and proudly displays a statue of Betty Campbell, Wales’ first black head mistress.
Father Deans Atkins has been the minister for St Mary’s Church, and thenighbouring districts of Splott and Grangetown, for 11 years.
He said: “It’s a very easy community to be part of, one of the easiest communities for a priest to immerse themselves in and form friendships and working partnerships.
Father Dean Atkins sees vulnerable people sucked into drug dealing because of povery Credit: Huw Evans
Also recovered by the police were terrifying weapons Credit: heddlu-de-cymru.police.uk
“Like all communities, it’s not perfect, but the community identity is extremely strong. However, the community is disappearing slowly with all the developments around and the huge amounts of investment, which don’t benefit the people of Butetown.
“I think there are two factors to why Butetown has seen a lot of crime. One is its geography, where it is in relation to the city centre. Another is the number of homeless services that are within a very small area. That is not to demonise or dehumanise people who are homeless, we are very close to the Salvation Army hostel and very good relationships with them and supportive of them.
“But a lot of the drug culture is fed by the demand of many, not exclusively, homeless people because they come with lots of issues, so having that number of customers means drugs are sold, often from neighbouring cities or cities across the UK.
“The young people that are caught up in drug dealing here are often themselves vulnerable, because of poverty or lack of opportunity or oppression, and we don’t demonise the young people who are caught up in that industry.
“I think it’s easy to say that there’s been police activity that has beensuccessful, and that is the only reason why crime has come down. But we’ve also got thriving supportive organisations. Tiger Bay Boxing and Tiger Bay football, do amazing work, not just teaching of sports, but for all aspects of life and the Youth Endowment Fund has invested £1 million.
“It’s about mobilising and sustaining. The boxing club has won a contract at the Millenium Stadium and launched Tiger Bay Security to get people into security work there and distract them from crime and anti-social behaviour, giving them some hope of potential and worth.”
Large amounts of cash were also recovered Credit: heddlu-de-cymru.police.uk
Locals find fewer needles here than they used to Credit: Huw Evans
“Living where I’m living, 10 years ago, the amount of flagrant drug dealing and drug use on the street was shocking.
“You don’t see as much now, partly because of Clear Hold Build, but also because of the nature of drug availability. There’s not so much heroin available, so they are turning to other drugs.
“I used to pick up dozens of needles a week but there are not so many now.”
The Huggard Centre in Cardiff also carries out sweeps in Butetown to collect discarded syringes and drugs paraphernalia.
Divisional Commander for Cardiff, Chief Superintendent Marc Attwell, said:“Clear Hold Build is a partnership operation, but the police part of the initiative in Butetown has seen more than 500 people arrested for a variety of offences.
“But more importantly, the community is telling us just how safe they feel.
“Recently we had a member of the community approach a member of the local policing team and say ‘for the first time in 20 years I feel safe enough to walk around my community’, and that pays testament to the work those officers.”
Inspector Gareth Handy added: “Through our Clear Hold Build approach, we are committed to making a lasting difference for the Butetown community.
“I want to thank our partners and residents for their continued support and cooperation.
“This is not a short-term effort — it’s about sustained engagement and tackling issues together. By working in partnership, we can build safer, stronger neighbourhoods for Butetown.”
A council spokesperson said: “Cardiff Community Safety Partnership is working in close collaboration with South Wales Police to support Operation Clear Hold Build, demonstrating a clear and ongoing commitment to tackling complex crime and anti-social behaviour.
“By bringing partners together, we are taking a co-ordinated approach to addressing issues that impact our communities and improving public safety.
“The Council will continue to work closely with South Wales Police and other partners to support the operation in the area. This long-term approach is focused on building on the progress made so far and delivering sustained improvements for the local community.”
