Three London gang members have been jailed after taking over a vulnerable woman’s home in Swansea to run a county lines drug operation, Swansea Crown Court heard. 📱💊
Saeed Afshar, 31, Gary Akister, 26, and Tyrese Douglas, 25, all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, heroin and cannabis.
Police discovered the operation after responding to a call from the homeowner in the Waun Wen area, who reported that three men were staying at her address and refusing to leave.
Officers found Douglas at the property alongside quantities of heroin, cocaine and cannabis, mobile phones, and car keys. He provided a false name and claimed to be visiting the occupant, though he couldn’t name her.
Further enquiries led police to Llangyfelach Road where they located Afshar and Akister, recovering phones, £350 in cash, and multiple sets of keys. All three men gave false identities when arrested.
The court heard the gang had travelled from London in a hire car on January 9th and had “cuckooed” the property – a technique where drug dealers take over a vulnerable person’s home to use as an operational base.
Evidence from seized phones included a Snapchat conversation where Akister discussed moving to Swansea saying “You can cut through in that city” and a video on Afshar’s phone showing people taking drugs with the caption “Welcome to Swansea.”
All three defendants have extensive previous convictions for drug trafficking offences:
- Afshar has eight previous convictions for 20 offences including multiple drug dealing offences
- Akister has 22 previous convictions for 40 offences including dealing heroin and cocaine
- Douglas has 13 previous convictions for 30 offences including firearms, weapons, and sexual offences
Judge Geraint Walters said: “All three defendants seemed committed to a gang and drug-dealing lifestyle, and while the courts could not stop them if that was their intent they could remove them from society.”
With 20% discounts for their guilty pleas, Afshar and Akister were each sentenced to eight years in prison, while Douglas received four years and nine months.
