:00:00. > :00:07.Welcome to Wales Today, tonight's top stories:
:00:08. > :00:09.It was the biggest ever drugs investigation by Dyfed-Powys Police.
:00:10. > :00:12.19 people are sentenced to 169 years behind bars.
:00:13. > :00:17.And why the Welsh Government sold these properties
:00:18. > :00:34.for almost ?1 million less than it paid for them.
:00:35. > :00:39.It was the biggest drugs investigation ever
:00:40. > :00:42.conducted by Dyfed-Powys Police, and it's led to 19 people
:00:43. > :00:43.being sentenced to 169 years behind bars.
:00:44. > :00:45.The gang, which included members from South Wales,
:00:46. > :00:50.attempted to sell ?19 million worth of cocaine.
:00:51. > :00:57.These are the people who, it was said in court,
:00:58. > :01:01.brought misery and debt to many families.
:01:02. > :01:03.Convicted of a conspiracy to supply Class A drugs,
:01:04. > :01:11.Described in court as the leaders of this drugs ring,
:01:12. > :01:14.32-year-old Matthew Roberts from Maes Conwy in Llanelli
:01:15. > :01:18.and 30-year-old Ian Michael Edwards from Liverpool
:01:19. > :01:20.took their time to recruit and plan their efforts
:01:21. > :01:22.to bring 15 kilos of cocaine to south-west Wales.
:01:23. > :01:26.It's fair to say this is one of the most challenging operations
:01:27. > :01:29.that we have undertaken here with Dyfed-Powys Police.
:01:30. > :01:32.To give you an example of the numbers deployed in Liverpool
:01:33. > :01:35.during the arrest phase of the upstream suppliers,
:01:36. > :01:40.in excess of 200 officers were deployed in the Liverpool area.
:01:41. > :01:43.This quiet street in Clydach in the Swansea Valley
:01:44. > :01:47.became the centre of their operations.
:01:48. > :01:53.where the cocaine was transported from Liverpool and Manchester.
:01:54. > :01:55.Here, it was cut, mixed and packaged,
:01:56. > :02:00.of the South Wales Valleys and Pembrokeshire.
:02:01. > :02:02.And it was here where Dyfed-Powys Police
:02:03. > :02:03.were able to conceal a recording device
:02:04. > :02:07.to catch the gang of criminals red-handed.
:02:08. > :02:10.The investigation focused on the activities of organised-crime groups
:02:11. > :02:14.in South West Wales, Liverpool and Greater Manchester.
:02:15. > :02:16.Very soon, it became clear to police of the roles
:02:17. > :02:27.others as safe-house guardians and couriers.
:02:28. > :02:29.It became a UK-wide police effort to catch all those involved,
:02:30. > :02:32.and eventually more than 2.5 kilos of high purity cocaine was seized
:02:33. > :02:36.as well as hundreds and thousands of pounds in cash.
:02:37. > :02:39.Each defendant in this case had a distinct role within the group,
:02:40. > :02:41.and each therefore bears responsibility
:02:42. > :02:46.for bringing misery to the communities they supplied.
:02:47. > :02:48.Together they preyed upon those in the grip of addiction who
:02:49. > :02:51.often turned to often other types of crime to support their habit.
:02:52. > :02:55.There's been a 15% rise in hospital admissions involving cocaine
:02:56. > :03:04.and in 2013 cocaine was mentioned on the death record of seven people.
:03:05. > :03:09.In the same year, police in Wales made 761 cocaine seizures.
:03:10. > :03:12.That's higher than the number of times
:03:13. > :03:17.At the close of proceedings today, Judge Paul Thomas said
:03:18. > :03:19.this had been a detailed and exceptional investigation.
:03:20. > :03:21.He formally commended three officers of Dyfed-Powys Police
:03:22. > :03:28.He said the public owed them a great debt of thanks for their work.
:03:29. > :03:31.Ben Price, BBC Wales Today, at Swansea Crown Court.
:03:32. > :03:34.The man charged with the murder of two people
:03:35. > :03:38.on Cardiff's Queen Street on Wednesday has appeared in court.
:03:39. > :03:41.Andrew Saunders spoke to confirm his name and date of birth
:03:42. > :03:44.and gave his address as of no fixed abode.
:03:45. > :03:48.to appear at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday.
:03:49. > :03:57.were stabbed near the Matalan shop where they both worked.
:03:58. > :04:03.A gymnastics coach has been sentenced to six years in prison at
:04:04. > :04:07.Cardiff Crown Court for sexually abusing young children. The court
:04:08. > :04:12.was told Luke Griffin was sexually gratified by feet and tied up his
:04:13. > :04:15.victims. He groomed seven girls and one boy between the ages of seven
:04:16. > :04:19.and ten. One youth charity says children need to be encouraged to
:04:20. > :04:23.talk about any behaviour they are uncomfortable with.
:04:24. > :04:26.The best thing we can do is to teach the children
:04:27. > :04:28.to keep themselves safe, to teach them that it isn't OK
:04:29. > :04:30.for grown-ups to touch them in certain ways,
:04:31. > :04:34.that they need to come and tell us as parents or as teachers, you know,
:04:35. > :04:37.that you go to somebody you trust if a grown-up does something that
:04:38. > :04:41.Three shops in Pontypridd were sold by the Welsh Government
:04:42. > :04:44.for close to ?1 million less than the price they paid for them.
:04:45. > :04:47.as part of regeneration plans which didn't materialise.
:04:48. > :04:49.An opposition AM has referred the case to a spending watchdog.
:04:50. > :04:52.The Government says it sold them based on professional advice.
:04:53. > :04:59.though clearly there were bargains to be had here.
:05:00. > :05:03.In 2008, the Welsh Government was hoping this area of Pontypridd
:05:04. > :05:07.would be transformed by a new shopping centre.
:05:08. > :05:11.As a result, it bought three shops at a total cost of over ?1 million.
:05:12. > :05:15.But when the economy crash, the idea was dropped.
:05:16. > :05:18.Ministers had paid ?800,000 for these two shops
:05:19. > :05:21.and a further ?450,000 for with this one.
:05:22. > :05:25.But earlier this year all three were sold for a total of just
:05:26. > :05:32.?271,000, around a fifth of the original cost.
:05:33. > :05:34.It only came to light after this Assembly Member
:05:35. > :05:39.uncovered the information through a freedom of information request.
:05:40. > :05:41.He has now referred the matter to the police.
:05:42. > :05:45.It's clear that it is happening time and time again,
:05:46. > :05:49.so at the very least, we are talking about a series of incompetencies.
:05:50. > :05:53.There should be some disciplinary procedures followed there,
:05:54. > :05:58.if people have not done what they should have been doing.
:05:59. > :06:01.An independent valuation for the last government said
:06:02. > :06:04.the lower price was as a result of changes in market conditions
:06:05. > :06:07.for properties of this nature over the period between 2008 and 2016,
:06:08. > :06:13.the properties were vacant, so not generating a rental income,
:06:14. > :06:15.and that the condition had deteriorated
:06:16. > :06:20.But I've been told the Welsh Government
:06:21. > :06:27.only asked for that information earlier this week.
:06:28. > :06:29.The letter containing the advice is dated yesterday,
:06:30. > :06:31.a month after the initial request was made to ministers,
:06:32. > :06:34.so we have asked the Welsh Government, why was that decision
:06:35. > :06:37.taken earlier this year to sell these properties?
:06:38. > :06:39.The Welsh Government says it sold the properties
:06:40. > :06:43.because they had been identified as surplus stock.
:06:44. > :06:45.The matter has now been referred to Wales's public spending watchdog,
:06:46. > :06:48.the Audit Office - they say they're considering
:06:49. > :06:53.the information to see if further investigation is required.
:06:54. > :06:55.The first ever awards ceremony for young black people in Wales
:06:56. > :06:58.who have made a positive contribution to their community
:06:59. > :07:00.has taken place in Cardiff as part of Black History Month.
:07:01. > :07:03.Among the winners, 18-year-old former asylum seeker
:07:04. > :07:05.Kimberly Mpukusa, who was coached by her father
:07:06. > :07:22.It means a lot to me, words cannot explain how much my parents have
:07:23. > :07:27.struggled car Donmar, how much I have struggled, and this award shows
:07:28. > :07:31.if you work hard, if you sacrifice, you can become big and people can
:07:32. > :07:32.recognise like how hard you have worked.
:07:33. > :07:34.The RSPCA is appealing for a new home
:07:35. > :07:37.for a dog whose ears were cut off by his previous owner.
:07:38. > :07:39.Victor, the two-year-old Staffordshire bull terrier type,
:07:40. > :07:42.His owner was jailed for 24 weeks yesterday
:07:43. > :07:48.The Dragons suffered a home defeat to Glasgow in the Pro12 tonight.
:07:49. > :07:52.The Dragons led early on in the second-half,
:07:53. > :07:56.but the visitors fought back, final score 17- 26.
:07:57. > :08:01.Time for the weather now, Sue has the weekend forecast.
:08:02. > :08:04.We are in for a mixed weekend, feeling fresher,
:08:05. > :08:07.Sunday is looking drier and brighter.
:08:08. > :08:10.The trough which brought today's showers clears eastwards,
:08:11. > :08:13.and then this next area of low pressure
:08:14. > :08:15.pushing in to bring rain at times tomorrow.
:08:16. > :08:17.Overnight, some clear spells further east,
:08:18. > :08:19.but that next band of more persistent, heavy showery rain
:08:20. > :08:22.will arrive in the West, lows of 8-11 Celsius.
:08:23. > :08:25.Tomorrow, some dry spells in the North and East,
:08:26. > :08:28.but outbreaks of rain pushing in across South and West Wales,
:08:29. > :08:33.a Met Office warning for these, which could be heavy at times,
:08:34. > :08:36.with a risk of hail and thunder,
:08:37. > :08:39.and across parts of southern England.
:08:40. > :08:41.North of that front, though, fewer showers,
:08:42. > :08:44.drier and brighter, but with quite brisk winds.
:08:45. > :08:46.The best of the brightness across northern Scotland,
:08:47. > :08:49.but feeling fresher, just 13 Celsius here,
:08:50. > :08:54.And for Wales, fewer showers tomorrow afternoon,
:08:55. > :08:57.with brighter spells developing, winds easing later.
:08:58. > :09:01.Cooler than recent days, 11 Celsius in South Powys, 14 in Wrexham.
:09:02. > :09:04.Now, later tomorrow, that low clears eastwards,
:09:05. > :09:07.high pressure building from the south for Sunday,
:09:08. > :09:10.a settled spell between these two weather systems.
:09:11. > :09:14.So tomorrow night, showers easing, turning drier, mist and fog forming,
:09:15. > :09:18.and colder, overnight temperatures in the low single figures.
:09:19. > :09:22.On Sunday, some early mist, a chilly start, then turning
:09:23. > :09:25.into a fine dry day with decent sunny spells, variable cloud,
:09:26. > :09:35.you are taking part or watching Cardiff half marathon on Sunday.
:09:36. > :09:38.It should stay dry with sunny spells.
:09:39. > :09:40.So a mixed weekend, rain at times Saturday,
:09:41. > :09:52.Monday should be largely fine and dry, but also breezier.
:09:53. > :10:00.We will be back with our next update at around 5:20 tomorrow evening.
:10:01. > :10:01.From all of us on the team, have a great