**London Crime Gang Used Swansea Home as Drugs Base, Court Hears**
A criminal operation originating from London recently commandeered a property in Swansea to orchestrate a large-scale drug dealing operation, Swansea Crown Court has been told. Police, responding to a plea for help from the resident, disrupted the activities of what appeared to be a highly organised gang, seizing quantities of heroin, cocaine, and cannabis from the premises.
The case highlighted the troubling phenomenon known as “cuckooing” – where vulnerable individuals are preyed upon and their homes overtaken by criminal enterprises. The court proceedings detailed how Saeed Afshar, Gary Akister, and Tyrese Douglas, all with lists of prior drug convictions, travelled from London to South Wales with the express intention of establishing a drugs distribution outpost.
Prosecutor Alycia Carpanini outlined how police were first alerted in January, when a resident in the Waun Wen area of Swansea reported that three men were refusing to leave her home. Officers discovered Tyrese Douglas at the address, surrounded by drugs, mobile phones, and paraphernalia. Douglas tried to deceive the police with a false identity, claiming he was visiting the occupant despite being unable to name her.
Further enquiries led officers to Llangyfelach Road, where Afshar and Akister were located. The London-based pair were caught with £350 in cash, multiple sets of keys, and mobile phones. Police also established that the three men had arrived in Swansea in a hire car earlier that month. Forensic analysis and mobile phone data soon confirmed the trio were operating a ‘county lines’ drugs network—part of a wider phenomenon where urban criminal organisations expand their trades into rural or provincial areas, frequently using intimidation or exploitation.
Evidence presented to the court included social media posts and Snapchat messages implicating the men in the day-to-day operations of their drug supply network. One video showed apparent drug-taking in a Swansea room, captioned “Welcome to Swansea”. In another conversation, Akister crowed about the ease with which he could operate in the city.
Examining the backgrounds of the accused, prosecutors revealed a pattern of reoffending and entrenched criminal behaviour. Afshar, 31, carries eight prior convictions linked to various drug offences, having been recently released from prison after a 90-month sentence for dealing and firearm possession. Akister, 26, faces a lengthy rap sheet with numerous convictions for trafficking Class A drugs; at the time of arrest, he was already on recall for an outstanding sentence due to be served until 2028. Douglas, 25, was earlier convicted for supply offences and a modern slavery charge—showing the wider harm such criminal networks can inflict beyond drug crime alone.
The legal defence for each of the accused attempted to appeal for mitigation. Afshar’s representative, Matt Murphy, suggested his client’s imminent fatherhood might encourage a change of heart, while Akister’s counsel emphasised a difficult childhood and the absence of positive pathways. Douglas, meanwhile, was said to have made use of his remand by learning basic Welsh and engaging in prison courses.
When summing up, Judge Geraint Walters observed the disturbing regularity with which such cases come before the Swansea court, remarking that organised gangs rarely consider the devastation left in their wake—affecting individuals, families, and the fabric of communities. He noted all three defendants appeared committed to a lifestyle shaped by gangs and drugs, and stated the judicial system’s power extended only to their removal from society, rather than changing their intentions.
Afshar and Akister were each handed eight-year prison sentences, while Douglas received a term of four years and nine months, their sentences reflecting reductions for early guilty pleas. The outcome serves as a stark reminder of both the prevalence of county lines drug operations and the challenges faced by the communities and authorities working to disrupt them.
This case also raises difficult questions about the support structures in place for both the vulnerable individuals targeted by such gangs and those offenders seeking to break the cycle of reoffending. The court’s verdict underlines the seriousness with which such criminal incursions are treated in Wales, with significant prison sentences for those found responsible.
As Swansea—and indeed other towns and cities across the UK—continue to deal with the scourge of drug-related crime, the effectiveness of preventative and rehabilitative strategies remains subject to ongoing public scrutiny.