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HAFOD: Snapchat messages led police to a dealer’s ketamine stash — hidden in a Tesco bag in his spare bedroom

A Hafod drug dealer whose Snapchat messages gave him away has been jailed for four years — after police found 2.7kg of ketamine and hundreds of grams of cannabis stashed in a Tesco carrier bag in his spare bedroom.

Flynn Johnson-Andrews, 28, of Grandison Street, was identified during an unrelated phone download, when Snapchat messages showed him selling cannabis and ketamine, South Wales Police said.

Officers went to his home on 9 June and arrested him as he got out of his car and headed for his front door, Swansea Crown Court heard.

After his phone was seized, the 28-year-old told officers they would find ketamine and cannabis in a spare bedroom — where a Tesco carrier bag was found holding packages of ketamine totalling some 2.7kg, along with 623g of cannabis.

The search also turned up cannabis joints under the bed and on a bedside cabinet, small snap bags, and weighing scales in the kitchen covered in white powder.

Messages sent and received on his phone over the previous few days related to the supply of cannabis, the court heard.

Johnson-Andrews was on licence at the time, having been sentenced to 32 months in prison in 2024 for supplying cocaine and cannabis. He has five previous convictions for 11 offences, including possession of Class A, B and C drugs and three counts of drug-driving.

He pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis with intent to supply and possession of ketamine with intent to supply, and was jailed for four years — four years for the ketamine offence and six months for the cannabis, to run concurrently — after a one-third discount for his guilty pleas.

His barrister, Andrew Evans, told the court that both of his client’s parents had struggled with drug addiction, saying it was “perhaps not surprising that he is a young man with his own addiction issues”. He conceded an immediate custodial sentence was inevitable.

Judge Huw Rees told Johnson-Andrews it was not his fault that he did not have the best start in life, and said that as he approached his 30th birthday he was left wondering what direction his life would take. The judge told him he would make a “good teacher” telling people to give up drugs.

Acting Inspector Jonathan Shaddick said: “This was an excellent arrest, charge and sentence which demonstrates quick and efficient police work following a thorough investigation from start to finish.

“I recognise the work of PC Finch, who led the warrant, along with the fine work of other City NPT officers involved in this investigation.

“With our Clear Hold Build work currently ongoing in the area to build a better Dyfatty, this sends a strong message that those in the area who are involved in criminality can expect to be tracked down and brought to justice as we address the long-standing issues the people of Dyfatty have had to contend with for too long.”

The Clear Hold Build operation — which clears an area of organised crime, holds the ground, then works with the community to build longer-term resilience — has been credited with cutting crime in Dyfatty by more than a tenth in four months. Over the same period, a row of long-shuttered High Street units reopened as the Dyfatty Junction community hub.

Hafod itself sits within the wider turnaround area. The neighbourhood is one of six — alongside Dyfatty, North Hill, High Street, Brynmelyn and Waun Wen — covered by a £20m, decade-long UK Government investment programme, and applications are open until later this month for residents to join the board deciding how the money is spent.

South Wales Police said tackling organised crime was a priority for the force, and that it would “continue to be relentless” in pursuing criminals to protect communities from harm.

Anyone who suspects drug dealing is taking place — or is concerned that a young person or vulnerable adult may have been targeted by an organised crime group — can call South Wales Police on 101, or report anonymously to Crimestoppers online or on 0800 555 111. “You don’t have to be certain, just concerned,” the force said. In an emergency, always call 999.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

SWANSEA: Empty Dyfatty shops reborn as community hub in neighbourhood’s turnaround
Crime in the area is down by more than a tenth in four months as the regeneration takes hold.

DYFATTY: Want a say in how £20m transforms your neighbourhood? Applications open for the board that decides
Residents of Hafod, Dyfatty and four neighbouring communities can apply to steer a decade of investment.

DYFATTY: Residents asked to shape the next chapter of their community’s turnaround
The regeneration and safety drive moves into its next phase.

DYFATTY: Want a say in how £20m transforms your neighbourhood? Applications open for the board that decides

People across a swathe of north-central Swansea are being invited to apply for the board that will decide how £20m of UK Government money is spent in their neighbourhoods over the next ten years.

Applications opened today to join the area’s new Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board, which will draw up a ten-year vision and investment plan.

“North Gate Swansea” is the name given to the programme area, covering North Hill, Upper High Street, Dyfatty, Hafod, Brynmelyn, Waun Wen and surrounding neighbourhoods — the cluster of communities north of the railway station selected earlier this year for up to £20m under the UK Government’s Pride in Place programme.

The board will be chaired by Thom Lynch, co-founder of the High Street charity Matthew’s House, whose appointment was announced last month.

Anyone who lives, works, volunteers, studies or has a strong connection to the area can apply, and no previous board experience is needed. Applications can be made in writing or by video, with a deadline of 12pm on Thursday 16 July.

Mr Lynch said more than forty local people had expressed an interest before applications had even opened.

“We are looking for people who care deeply about this area and want to play an active role in helping it thrive,” he said. “What matters most is your passion for the community, your willingness to work with others and your desire to create lasting positive change.”

Swansea West MP Torsten Bell said people in the area deserved “not only to see investment to strengthen their communities” but “a voice in what those investments should be”.

“I fought for this funding because it gives us the chance to show that no part of Swansea can be written off,” he said. “Please do get involved.”

Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart said the board would ensure local people helped shape priorities and decisions, adding that he looked forward to “a wide range of people stepping forward”.

Places on the board are limited, but applicants who miss out will be encouraged to join a wider North Gate Swansea Changemakers Network supporting projects across the area.

Anyone wanting to find out more can meet Mr Lynch at an informal drop-in session at Matthew’s House on High Street this Friday, 10 July, between 11am and 1pm.

Application packs are available at northgateswanseapip.co.uk or by emailing [email protected].

The area has seen a run of recent investment activity, including a row of long-empty High Street units reopening as the Dyfatty Junction community space last month, as police reported falling crime in the neighbourhood.

North Gate Swansea is one of three Pride in Place areas locally. In Llanelli, where an equivalent board is steering the town’s own £20m programme, applications close today — while the Afan Valley’s £20m drive is chaired by former Neath Port Talbot Council chief executive Karen Jones, who was recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours last month.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

DYFATTY: Swansea homelessness charity boss to lead £20m drive to transform city neighbourhoods
Thom Lynch’s appointment as chair of the North Gate Swansea board.

SWANSEA: Empty Dyfatty shops reborn as community hub in neighbourhood’s turnaround
Long-shuttered High Street units reopen as the Dyfatty Junction community space.

LLANELLI: Residents wanted for board steering town’s £20m, 10-year transformation
The equivalent Pride in Place board across five Llanelli wards.

HONOURS: ‘An incredible honour’ — MBE for the council chief now leading the Afan Valley’s £20m revival
Karen Jones takes on the Afan Valley’s Pride in Place programme.

DYFATTY: Lane closures set to stay into Monday after fire ripped through industrial unit

Dyfatty Street is down to one outbound lane — and likely to stay that way into Monday — after a huge fire tore through an industrial unit on Saturday, sending black smoke across Swansea.

Drivers face lane closures into Monday’s rush hour after a major fire ripped through an industrial unit on Dyfatty Street in Swansea.

The fire broke out at around 12.30pm on Saturday, sending a plume of thick black smoke over the city centre that could be seen for miles around.

The unit — used as a vehicle workshop, with cars parked tightly around the building — was engulfed, with flames bursting through its roof as firefighters trained hoses on the blaze.

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service sent ten appliances — six main pumps, two water bowsers, an aerial appliance, a high-volume pump and an incident command unit.

A fire service spokesperson described it as “quite a large scale incident for us”.

People living nearby were told to keep doors and windows closed, with South Wales Police warning of heavy smoke around the Matthew Street flats and closing Dyfatty Street in both directions.

The fire was brought under control by around 4pm, the service said.

The building was left severely damaged — the aftermath pictures show its roof largely destroyed — but crews stopped the flames spreading to the neighbouring Enterprise Rent-A-Car premises.

No injuries were reported. The cause has not been confirmed, and the fire service said further investigations would follow.

The closure brought parts of the city centre to a standstill on Saturday afternoon, with traffic backing up on High Street and Carmarthen Road as drivers diverted.

Swansea West MP Torsten Bell urged people to stay away while emergency services worked, describing it as “a very significant event” in a video posted on social media.

Swansea Council said on Saturday evening that crews were dampening down the fire and that the road surface itself was being assessed for damage.

By 8.45pm the road had fully reopened to inbound traffic, with one lane running outbound.

But in a further update the council said the outbound side would stay at one lane while the building’s owner has its condition assessed — and was unlikely to fully reopen on Monday.

Drivers heading out of the city centre on Monday morning are being advised to consider alternative routes.

The fire struck at the heart of an area midway through a major turnaround — Dyfatty sits within a £20m, decade-long UK Government-funded drive to transform the neighbourhoods north of the railway station, and less than a fortnight ago a row of long-empty units reopened as the Dyfatty Junction community hub.

Residents are currently being asked to help shape the next phase of the area’s regeneration.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

DYFATTY: Swansea homelessness charity boss to lead £20m drive to transform city neighbourhoods
The decade-long programme transforming the neighbourhoods north of Swansea railway station.

SWANSEA: Empty Dyfatty shops reborn as community hub in neighbourhood’s turnaround
Long-shuttered units reopened as Dyfatty Junction, with crime in the area down by more than a tenth.

DYFATTY: Residents asked to shape the next chapter of their community’s turnaround
People across Dyfatty are being invited to have their say on the next phase of the area’s regeneration.

DYFATTY: Residents asked to shape the next chapter of their community’s turnaround

Residents in Dyfatty are being asked to help shape the future of their community, as a major effort to turn the area around moves into its next phase.

A new residents’ survey has been launched as part of the Building a Better Dyfatty programme, a multi-agency drive to make lasting improvements to the area.

It builds on months of work that has already seen hundreds of conversations with residents, businesses, community groups, school pupils, parents and students about the issues that matter most to them.

The programme is led by Swansea Public Services Board and aims to tackle long-standing problems the partners link to serious organised crime, while supporting a safer, stronger community.

It brings together South Wales Police, Swansea Council and other organisations to take coordinated action.

The work began with targeted enforcement to disrupt and remove criminal activity, followed by sustained partnership work to keep those gains, prevent further harm and rebuild confidence.

That approach mirrors the “Clear, Hold, Build” model recently highlighted by police inspectors, who praised the tactic of flooding a troubled area with support and then working to keep crime down for good.

The early signs have been encouraging. Police recently reported crime in the area down by more than a tenth in four months.

Andrea Harrington, chair of Swansea’s Public Services Board, said the partners had spent recent months in Dyfatty “listening, learning and understanding what people want to see.”

She said that work would continue, to capture as many voices as possible and give everyone a genuine chance to have their say.

“If we are serious about change, it must be led by the people who live and work here,” she said.

Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart said it was clear from the conversations held so far that people cared deeply about Dyfatty and wanted to be part of its future.

He said the consultation was about making sure those voices continued to be heard, so support and services could be shaped around what mattered most to the community.

“We’re committed to working alongside people to build something that delivers real, lasting change,” he said.

The launch follows the recent opening of Dyfatty Junction, a new community hub in a row of long-empty High Street units that will bring services, support and partners together in one place.

It also comes as a separate £20m regeneration drive gets under way to transform a cluster of neighbourhoods north of Swansea railway station over the next decade.

Residents, businesses and community groups can take part in the survey on the Building a Better Dyfatty website.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Empty Dyfatty shops reborn as community hub
The new Dyfatty Junction opens as police report crime down more than a tenth.

Charity boss to lead £20m drive to transform city neighbourhoods
Thom Lynch to chair the board spending £20m around Swansea railway station.

Police inspectors highlight Swansea’s Clear, Hold, Build work
A watchdog report on how the region tackles serious organised crime.

RAPE TRIAL: Swansea man jailed for 16 years after attack on vulnerable woman who later died

A Swansea man has been jailed for 16 years for raping and assaulting a vulnerable woman he had met hours earlier — and for stealing her dog.

Dominik Szymanski, 47, attacked the woman at his flat on Matthew Street before dragging her out of the property and leaving her in a lift, Swansea Crown Court heard.

The day after she gave evidence against him at his trial, the woman was found dead. An inquest has yet to establish how she died.

Szymanski, who denied the offences, was convicted by a jury of rape and assault occasioning actual bodily harm following a 10-day trial. He later admitted stealing her dog.

The court heard the pair had met for the first time in Swansea city centre on 2 September last year. Both had their dogs with them, and they began talking before going back to his nearby flat.

There, Szymanski subjected the woman to a prolonged attack. He was caught on CCTV in the block of flats dragging her from the property and putting her into a lift.

In the days afterwards, he kept her dog and arranged to sell it. The animal was eventually returned to her.

In a statement read to the court by the woman’s mother, she described her daughter as a devoted animal lover who had looked “broken” after the attack and the loss of her pet.

She said it was only after the dog’s safe return that her daughter began to think about herself and what had happened to her.

The mother said her daughter had worked hard to tackle addiction issues and had drawn up a list of things she dreamed of doing in life.

She said that, whatever a court might find, she believed Szymanski’s actions had led to her daughter’s death. “In my eyes, his actions killed my child,” she said.

Sentencing, Judge Geraint Walters said the facts of the case were “disturbing” and that Szymanski had seen the woman as “a vulnerable individual who he could take advantage of.”

The judge said he had found her to be a “most compelling and honest witness” despite her difficulties over the years with drink and drugs.

He said he could not say the woman had taken her own life as a result of what she had been through, and the timing of her death was “particularly sad.” He told Szymanski: “What you did to her had a profound emotional effect on her.”

The court heard Szymanski had previous convictions. They included an assault on a former partner, whom he pushed down steps after begging her to take him back before attacking her car, and a battery and an assault on a police officer, during which he repeatedly kicked a man who was on the ground and then pushed the constable who arrested him.

He was given an extended 16-year sentence as a dangerous offender, made up of 12 years in custody and a four-year licence period.

He will have to serve two-thirds of the custodial term before he can apply for release, and it will be for the Parole Board to decide whether he is safe to be freed. He will be a registered sex offender for life.

Detective Constable Claire Davies, of South Wales Police, described it as a “prolonged and significant attack” by a “truly despicable offender against a vulnerable woman who had little means of defending herself.”

She said that, although the victim was no longer able to see justice done in court, the outcome was of great relief to her family and friends, who had seen Szymanski held accountable. She added that the force hoped cases like it reassured victims of sexual abuse that they would be listened to and treated with dignity and respect.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, the Samaritans can be contacted free on 116 123, or by email at [email protected].

DYFATTY: Swansea homelessness charity boss to lead £20m drive to transform city neighbourhoods

A Swansea charity leader who has spent years helping the city’s most vulnerable people has been handed a central role in deciding how £20m is spent transforming neighbourhoods north of the city centre.

Thom Lynch has been named independent chair of the Neighbourhood Board overseeing Swansea’s £20m Pride in Place funding.

The money is a 10-year investment targeted on the city’s Gateway Communities — a cluster of neighbourhoods just north of Swansea railway station that takes in Brynmelyn, Waun Wen, North Hill, Dyfatty and Hafod.

They are areas long identified as among the most overlooked in the city, despite being passed through daily by thousands of commuters and visitors arriving in Swansea.

The funding can be spent on a wide range of community-led projects, from saving threatened pubs and libraries to improving community safety, reviving local high streets and restoring green spaces — with residents helping to decide where it goes.

Lynch is the co-founder and project leader of Matthew’s House, the High Street charity that provides a base and support for vulnerable people, including those experiencing homelessness.

The charity’s work has been recognised nationally, including with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.

His appointment followed an open recruitment process, with the role designed as a community-rooted voice at the top of the board rather than a council or government appointee.

Lynch said one of his first tasks would be to build the Neighbourhood Board itself, and he urged local people to step forward.

“I’m honoured to take on this role and grateful for the opportunity to work even more with local people to shape the future of our communities,” he said.

“Pride in Place is about putting residents at the heart of decision-making, and I’m excited to build on the strong community work already happening across these neighbourhoods.”

He added: “I’ll be looking for people from local communities to get involved, share their ideas and help deliver projects that make a real, lasting difference. We’re going to need a real team effort to get this right.”

Swansea West MP Torsten Bell, who secured the funding, described it as a once-in-a-generation chance for the area.

“Pride in Place is a landmark 10-year, £20 million investment in Swansea communities that have too long been overlooked,” he said.

“It is a huge opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives. Thom is exactly the right person to get as many residents as possible involved in making that happen.”

Council leader Cllr Rob Stewart said the appointment was a major step forward.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for the people of Dyfatty to shape their own future, backed by £20 million of UK Government investment over the next decade,” he said.

“Thom has a proven track record, is well-known in the community and will be an outstanding chair for the Neighbourhood Board.”

Stewart said the money would add to more than £60m of council investment in housing improvements in the area, alongside wider work to create a safer, stronger community.

The regeneration drive comes after a targeted police crackdown on crime and anti-social behaviour in Dyfatty, which saw crime fall 12% and anti-social behaviour drop 69% in its early months — work the longer-term investment is intended to complement.

In neighbouring Neath Port Talbot, a separate £20m Pride in Place award is regenerating the Upper Afan Valley, with former council chief executive Karen Jones chairing that board as a volunteer.

The council has not yet set out which individual projects will receive money, or when residents will see the first changes on the ground.

But with the board now taking shape, decisions on how the £20m is spent are expected to follow in the months ahead.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Swansea neighbourhood handed £20m boost
How the decade-long Pride in Place investment was first announced for the city.

Community champion sought to lead £20m drive
The chair’s role as it was advertised earlier this year — now filled by Thom Lynch.

Llanelli handed £20m lifeline in same scheme
The Carmarthenshire town’s own Pride in Place award.

Matthew’s House and the Swans big sleep out
The High Street charity Thom Lynch co-founded.