Seven Newport men were jailed at the city's crown court yesterday for conspiring to supply ecstasy after drugs with a street value of £800,000 were seized. The men aged between 18 and 25 come from various areas in the east of the city. After they were sentenced to a total of over 20 years, police called it the biggest ecstasy seizure in south Wales.
Officers intercepted boxes in Belgium and replaced the drugs inside with cat biscuits to lure the gang into a trap.The Metropolitan Police said a Dutch woman had taken six boxes to a shipping depot, DHL in Ham, Belgium, on 27 July, 2006, saying they contained books and were to be collected in London. The Belgium Federal Police were called in and discovered 40 packs in each of the boxes of 46.4kg (102lb) of ecstasy. Police replaced the haul with cat biscuits and then followed and trapped the gang at a flat in Godfrey Road
SEVEN NEWPORT MEN SENTENCED OVER MASSIVE DRUGS HAUL
STOMACH BUG AFFECTS HOSPITAL
The Royal Gwent Hospital has closed two wards due to an outbreak of the widespread winter stomach bug, novovirus. An NHS spokeswoman stated that the outbreak had closed two wards at the city hospital
LIB DEMS TARGET CITY ELECTIONS
The importance of the City Council elections in May are emphasised by a statement by Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Mike German, reported in the Daily Post newspaper. German states that aside from pushing for majority rule in Swansea and Cardiff the Lib Dems will deprive Labour of its majority in Newport. At present Labour enjoys a majority of ten (30-20) over all other parties. He says "if, as expected, Labour lose overall control of the council all Wales’ cities will have rejected their style of we-know-best politics.”
CITY RESIDENTS RECEIVE WATER WARNING
City residents have all received letters from Welsh Water in recent days advising them of significant work to water supplies to be undertaken as part of the city centre regeneration. The letter warns of the slim possibility of an interruption to supplies as a result of this work.
