SQUADS of “cowardly” drug mules are leaving locals “too scared to speak” as a leafy city becomes Britain’s new gangland capital.
Forty-nine minutes is all it takes to send drug-addled teenagers from London to Swindon – and destroy a once-proud town.
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Drugs are smuggled from London to SwindonCredit: Nigel Iskander
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Locals are silenced in fear or reprisalCredit: Swindon Police
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A Manchester man was recently arrested after drugs were found in his possession Credit: Swindon Police
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Tribute to Oliver Dunn who lost his life in Swindon last year Credit: Jon Rowley
That short rail journey from the capital is why Swindon has seen an explosion in drug and knife and gun crime in recent years.
Locals in the once peaceful Wiltshire town are now too terrified to leave their homes at night and many are planning to move out.
Because “county line” gangs seem to have taken over most of the city’s drug trade and the ruthless leaders of the criminal enterprise will stop at nothing to protect their “business”.
The tools of their trade are intimidation, muscle, knives and, increasingly, guns.
One local we spoke to, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of losing his life, told us: “Almost every drug deal that’s going on in this town now is outside the county borders.
“The way they work is they find young people who live here – the more vulnerable or desperate the better – and groom them, bribe them with money and free drugs, make promises, threaten them, whatever they have to do to allow the drug runners to live in their homes and use them as a base.
“Then these so-called cowards completely take over their lives.
“They get free board and lodging and in many cases they force these young local people onto the streets delivering or selling their drugs for them so they don’t get caught dealing.
“This is happening in literally hundreds of houses and apartments across the city and no one is doing anything.
“If someone does that, knives and even guns come out and they are threatened, or worse.
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Police are increasingly arresting people with knives and guns Credit: DANIEL JAE WEBB
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Residents say vulnerable people are being forced to join provincial line operationsCredit: DANIEL JAE WEBB
“Think about it, if you have 20 people on a train, each carrying a quantity of drugs that could be classified as for their personal use and therefore not necessarily a custodial offence, by the time that group has made a few journeys from London to Swindon, the total amount of drugs is enormous.
“The amount of drugs coming into Swindon every day in this way amounts to a small fortune in drug dealing on the streets here and the effect of all those drugs on the town is devastating.”
I looked at the belt on this guy’s pants and I saw the butt of the gun tucked into his waist
Source
The source went on to say that locals in the town are “night and day without a head” – and many are schoolchildren.
He added: “Most of them are young, in many cases still at school, and those who have left school are too drugged up to want to work or do anything useful. It’s an absolute mess.
“I’m moving out as soon as I collect enough money.
“I was recently in a pub and I saw a guy selling cocaine to a local.
“Shortly after that I went outside for a smoke and as the dealer was leaving the pub, another guy came up behind him, grabbed him and threw him against the wall.
“He told him he was part of a bigger drug network and said if he was ever seen selling drugs in Swindon again he would deal with him.
“I looked at the belt on this guy’s pants and I saw the butt of the gun tucked into his waistband.
“I have no doubt that this guy was a senior player in the county line operation as he boasted that he had hundreds of men at his disposal in the city.”
The source was speaking from his home in Penhill, the scene of the tragic stabbing death of 18-year-old Owen Dunn last year.
They embed themselves in the lives and homes of these vulnerable people and operate them like remote-controlled toys
Source
Penhill is one of several large housing estates in the city that begin with the letter ‘P’.
Pinehurst, Park North and Park South are among the others – giving Swindon a new name among the locals: “P-Town”.
Another Pinehurst resident said she too has witnessed gun crime in her hometown.
A woman in her early 20s said: “I was at a friend’s party a few months ago and there was a huge fight outside between two groups of teenagers.
“We went outside to see what was going on and it was pretty clear that it was some sort of turf war involving drugs.
“Next thing, a car pulls up and two huge guys get out, and one of them pulls a gun out of his jacket and tells one of the gangs that if they keep selling drugs on this property, they’re going to destroy them all six feet below.
What are district boundaries?
County lines are drug smuggling from big cities to rural areas.
Criminal groups will recruit vulnerable children or adults as mules to transport drugs from place to place.
Some of them are there to pay off their own drug debts.
Between 2018 and 2019, figures from the National Crime Agency showed 1,500 drug smuggling routes across county borders in the UK.
“This is what Swindon is like now. It used to be such a beautiful place when I was growing up, but drugs and violence, especially gun crime, are destroying this beautiful city.
“I know what the problem is – it’s state borders. The drugs are shipped from London with young lads who seem to have no problem finding vulnerable people in Swindon to do their dirty work.
“They are implanted in the lives and homes of these vulnerable people and are controlled like remote control toys.
“They use intimidation and violence and completely take over every area of their lives.
“The officers know this is happening but nothing seems to be changing. Swindon do not deserve this.”
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Source: HIS Education