Drugs swoop police still interviewing

Operation Corolla has targeted drug dealers

Police say 15 people are still being questioned following one of the biggest drugs raids ever launched by a Welsh force.

A team of 250 officers from four police forces carried out a series of raids at homes in Newport, south east Wales, on Tuesday.

There has been an influx of drugs into the south Wales valleys

Gwent Police later revealed that 25 people - believed to have been involved in an extensive class A drug trafficking operation - were arrested.

On Wednesday, officers said 10 had been released on bail, pending further inquiries.

Officers from the Immigration Service joined police in the raids in Newport.

The houses raided were mainly in the Pill area of the city and crack cocaine, heroin, and cash were seized.

Police have been gathering intelligence into the activities of drug dealers in Newport for several months.

The officers from the Gwent, Dyfed-Powys, South Wales and Gloucestershire forces simultaneously struck at 15 addresses as part of the operation, codenamed Corolla.

Organised gangs

The raids were aimed at tackling alleged class A drug trafficking after officers had gathered intelligence over several months.

Gwent Police confirmed that some of the people arrested were alleged to have been working as part of organised gangs of Jamaican drug dealers.

Police in Newport said they had been targetting drug gangs which had moved into south Wales from English cities including Birmingham and Bristol, flooding the area with crack cocaine and heroin.

Chief Superintendent Kevin Price from Gwent Police said: "Operation Corolla sends an important message to drug traffickers and reinforces the promises made to our communities.

"I plan to meet with community leaders shortly to build on the strength of our partnership."

Earlier this month, the Welsh Assembly Government announced £18m in extra funding for drug abuse treatment services.

Last month, Home Secretary David Blunkett pledged £1m towards Operation Tarian - a police crackdown on drug dealing in south Wales.