Our seaside town is overrun with heroin dealers…kids’ playgrounds are a no-go area and we’re scared to go out after dark
JUDGING by the moss and weeds covering the deserted children’s playground and the chunky padlock attached to the entrance gates, it is a long time since anyone visited.
Except, that is, for the drug dealers and addicts who go about their business here under the cover of darkness every night.
By day, the peace of this deserted oasis in the heart of Cardiff’s Butetown in south Wales is broken only by the occasional shriek of seagulls overhead and the distant rumble of a train rolling towards the city centre half a mile away.
Also more famously known as Tiger Bay, the area has long been a multicultural melting pot – but with a seedy underbelly of crime and prostitution thanks to its proximity to Cardiff docks.
It’s also the hometown of the legendary Welsh songstress Shirley Bassey and rugby star Billy Boston.
But despite its long history, the neighbourhood now finds itself plagued by dodgy dealers on the prowl and gangs of yobs.
Empty beer and spirits bottles, many of them smashed, are scattered around nearby, adding to the impression that this playground is no longer for the very young.
Locals say the playground, which once teemed with children enjoying themselves, is now a “no go” area for most of Butetown.
Instead, they stay indoors, too afraid to go out when it gets dark.
One, Carly, a new mum in her early 20s, said: “After dark, there’s no way I leave my home. The streets around here are just not safe at night.
“The place is full of drug dealers and their junkie customers and it becomes pretty much a no-go area for most of us.
“I can’t remember the last time I went out after dark. Definitely not since I had my daughter, who just turned two.
“Out of my bedroom window, I often see drug deals being done in the streets around the kids’ playground, usually early evening.
“It sickens me to think that it probably won’t be open for my daughter to play in this summer, but the druggies get a free rein.”
Carly said she has counted as many as a dozen used syringes and needles thrown onto the ground by heroin users in recent weeks.
Broken bottles could also be seen by the padlocked gates sealing off the play park in the centre of Butetown last week.
Just last week, Cardiff drug dealer Ibrahim Mustafa was sent to prison for two years and 10 months after police caught him mid-deal in the backseat of a car.
The 32-year-old was spotted stuffing something down his trousers, while an X-ray confirmed the presence of a foreign object, believed to be drugs, in his body.
He was eventually charged with supplying cocaine.
In March of last year, seven men were arrested after a man was stabbed in the area, leading to the police imposing a dispersal order to keep the community safe.
Last April, four members of an Organised Crime Group based in Cardiff were found guilty of sourcing and supplying class A drugs in South Wales.
Kyle Johnson, Lee Bridgeman, Samira Kearle and Ali Ahmed between them moved more than 50 kilograms of cocaine in just three months.
Officers uncovered the group’s activities after cracking their messages on the EncroChat communication platform.
Back in Butetown, threatening characters gathered together by the side of the road.
We watched as a group of four scruffy young men, two of whom wore face coverings, dressed in jeans and hoodies, prowled the streets furtively.
We’ll always find another street so we avoid them. They’re trouble
Fernando
It is not known if they were drug dealers but when we approached them, they shot off without speaking.
Students Fernando, 20, and Jamie, 19, said they regularly see the men when they walk through Butetown on their way to and from their college closer to the city centre.
“If we see them up ahead, we’ll always find another street so we avoid them,” said Fernando. “They’re trouble.”
He added: “There’s a lot of drugs being sold around here and they aren’t the kind of people we want to get to know.
“Just last week I saw two different drug deals happening on these street corners. Money and packets changed hands in the blink of an eye and they were gone.
“It’s such a shame Butetown has been blighted by this kind of activity and the police don’t seem to be doing anything about it. We never see cops here. They just leave Butetown to it.”
Certainly, during the many hours we spent in Butetown last week, we saw no police officers patrolling the area.
Another local, Nadia, 52, said: “I’ve loved here on and off all my life and the drugs problem seems to be getting worse and worse.
“We launched a community initiative to make Butetown a safer, cleaner place to live and for a year or so, with the help of the police and councillors, it seemed to be working.
“It felt safer walking around here at night and drug dealers got to know it was no longer business as normal here.
“But over time, the police patrols became less frequent because their attention was needed elsewhere in the city and they don’t have the resources to be everywhere, I guess, and of course the dealers and pushers started coming back here.
“Now there are drug dealers and junkies everywhere at night and no one feels safe walking around here after dark. It’s such a shame.”
Locals also complain about the menace of drug dealers tearing through the labyrinth of Butetown streets on electric bikes capable of moving at almost 50mph.
One said: “They use these e-bikes because they’re manoeuvrable and anonymous. They wear face masks to conceal their identities and the drug drops are over in a flash.
“Then they ride off and often mount kerbs and ride on the pavements to take short cuts down their rat runs. But if you’re in the way, they’ll ride straight at you. It’s just so dangerous.”
Afzal Mohammad, who was on his way to Friday Prayer at a local mosque, said he still has faith in his community.
He said: “Sure, there are some in the area who are causing problems but on the whole this is a peaceful and close community.
“We always try to work together to get along.
“It’s a wonderful part of Cardiff and I wouldn’t live anywhere else.
“Every community has its problems and Butetown is no different.”
South Wales Police give their response
SOUTHWales Police is aware of concerns regarding drug dealing and other crime in Butetown.
Tackling these concerns is a priority for us. There is significant work, including the Clear Hold Build project, and police activity in this area.
Since July, more than 50 people have been arrested in connection with drug dealing offences in Butetown.
Plain-clothed officers are deployed to gather intelligence and identify offenders. These patrols are complimented by high visibility-patrols which regularly result in arrests
Inspector Ross Crutcher, from South Wales Police, said “This is part of our dedication to the people of Butetown and to the Clear Hold Build national project in the area. There has been a noticeable increase in information coming from the community both online and in person.”
Clear Hold Build, now running in Butetown, has been successful in several locations across the UK.
- Clear primary objectives include enforcement, continued disruption of OCG activity and improve police visibility.
- The Hold aspect will include actively focussing on the younger generation and diverting them away from crime.
- And finally, Build will see, among many other objectives, a continuing programme of community engagement and diversionary events.
Chief Inspector Stuart McDean, who is leading Clear Hold Build, said: “This is a real opportunity to bring partners and the community together to remove the criminal element from Butetown and put in place long term plans to improve the infrastructure of the area.”