TWO years ago, Matty was working as a doorman at a Swansea nightclub and owned his own home in the city.
He worked out five days a week at his local gym and weighed 15st. “Most of it was muscle,” he says.
Swansea has been grappling with a drug death epidemicNigel Iskander
Shocking pictures show zombie addicts roaming the streetsNigel Iskander
Nigel IskanderHomelessness and addiction continue to trouble the city[/caption]
But today, following a series of setbacks, he has lost his job, his home and no longer visits the gym.
He has become slave to a highly addictive and potentially deadly drug – crystal meth.
More commonly found in the US, over recent years the drug has been creeping into the UK and even making its way to south Wales, where cops recently seized the force’s largest ever amount in nearby Cardiff.
But it’s Swansea that has shouldered the burden of the country’s addiction problems, with recent figures revealing the drug death rate here is more than double most of the rest of Wales.
Matty, 32, who did not wish to be pictured, says he turned to crystal meth during the breakdown of a long-term relationship that triggered depression and anxiety.
At the same time, he lost his job and moved out of the home he had shared with his then-partner for almost 10 years.
“I was at rock bottom and needed a release from the pain of losing the love of my life and the stress of being out of work and homeless,” says Matty.
“Being a doorman, I knew most of the drug dealers in town and one of them offered me a rock ‘on the house’.
“I went back for more in the weeks that followed and within a month or two I was totally addicted.”
Matty is one of a number of crystal meth addicts in the city, which The Sun visited as part of our series, Hooked, shedding a light on the drug epidemics plaguing towns and cities across the country.
Our shocking pictures show how zombie-style users cavort openly in the street. Many were already hooked on heroin and made the switch as prices of the Class A drug doubled in recent years.
The effects of the drug are evident in Matty’s appearance. His filthy, tattered clothes hang from his once-athletic frame like rags, and red-rimmed eyes peer out from deep in his gaunt-looking face.
He looks much older as he shuffles through the town in search of a fresh supply of the drug he knows is killing him.
“I’m addicted to this stuff now, so I have no choice,” he says.
“Meth is so addictive because it gives me the energy to get out of bed in the morning – or more often nowadays, the afternoon – and try and get things done.
“I guess it gives the user euphoria and an energy to do things. When it’s in my system, my mind is rushing so fast that it never takes time to think of any problems that I have or that the drug is actually causing in my life.
AlamySwansea’s drug-related death rate is more than double the figures for most of the rest of Wales[/caption]
Nigel IskanderThe Sun previously revealed how the city’s red light district was thriving[/caption]
“Like with alcohol or any other drug, the amount I was using at first steadily increased. The longer you do it, the more it takes.
“Then, once I crossed the line of user to addict, everything changed. I began to build my whole life around the drug because if you run out your life pretty much stops.
“You can’t get out of bed without it, so the drug comes first. Family and friends become second.
“When I first started meth, I weighed about 100 kilos. Within six months my weight had dropped to around 70 kilos. Now I reckon I must be down to under 60.
“Then there’s the effect on the rest of my body. My teeth are rotten now and I have crippling headaches most of the time.”
Drug death epidemic
The latest ONS figures show more than twice as many people die because of drugs in Swansea – Wales’ second city – than in Cardiff, its much bigger neighbour.
Like in Swansea, drug-related deaths in England and Wales are at the highest level since records began 30 years ago.
Although the rate fell slightly in Wales last year, it’s up more than 50 per cent in a decade, and remains higher than the death rate in England.
Opiates were involved in nearly half of such deaths, with heroin and morphine remaining the most frequently mentioned in registrations, according to the ONS.
Rates of drug-misuse deaths continue to be higher among those born in the 1970s, with the highest rate in those aged 40 to 49.
What is crystal meth?
CRYSTAL meth is a commonly used drug in the US, but use in the UK is ever increasing.
Also known as methamphetamine, crystal meth is part of the amphetamine family of stimulant drugs.
Usually crystal meth is smoked in glass pipes in a similar way to crack cocaine. It can be injected either dry or dissolved in water and some people snort or swallow it.
According to the NHS, Crystal meth is “highly addictive”. The NHS advice adds: “It is one of the chemsex drugs.
“Some of the effects people experience include euphoria, increased energy, alertness, happiness and increased sex drive and the effects may last as long as 12 hours.
“The come down from crystal meth can be severe and people often use more of the drug to avoid it, which leads to an even bigger addiction.
“In some cases people use other substances like alcohol or heroin so the come down isn’t as bad, which creates a secondary addiction and the whole problem becomes bigger.”
Some of the 83 people who died due to drugs in Swansea last year were James Thomas’ friends.
James struggles with addiction, and says it can take months for people like him to get treatment.
He added: “A lot of those people I knew very well and I am one of those people that possibly it could happen to.
“If someone cries out for help, if someone asks for help they should get that help immediately.
“It doesn’t matter whether or not you’re that much of a priority or how high up or down the list you are, I think if you ask for help and you say you’re urgently needing help you should get help straight away.”
Martin Blakebrough, the CEO of drugs charity Kaleidoscope, says there has been “too much talk and not enough action” from the Welsh Government on drug-related deaths in Swansea.
He tells us: “Until they actually start action, we’re going to continue these horrible figures and it’s letting the people of Swansea down because we know not only do drugs affect people who are taking them, it affects the wider community.”
South Wales PoliceSeven men were jailed in a huge drug bust earlier this year[/caption]
South Wales PoliceBrothers Benjamin and Leon Simons dubbed themselves the “Swansea Boys” and were running a major cocaine-dealing operation[/caption]
South Wales PoliceDrugs and paraphernalia were found at their property[/caption]
He also fears there is a lack of cohesion in drug policy across the UK.
“I think what’s really disappointing when I look at each of the nations is there isn’t a whole systems approach,” Martin says.
“So you go to Scotland and you see they’re going to maybe bring in drug consumption rules, which actually can be really, really helpful.
“But then they don’t seem to really have sorted out their rehab and detox, so the engagement isn’t as good as it should be.
“You go to Wales and you find some really good innovative practices like the use of Naloxone [a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose], but then you don’t actually get the rapid access into treatment.
“In England it’s very dysfunctional because it depends on the individual local authorities, and on top of that, they are very Home Office-driven not health driven, and this is ultimately a health problem.”
‘I went from zero to 100 on drugs’
Evidence of Swansea’s drugs problem can be found across the city.
The Sun previously revealed how its shadowy red light district remains thriving, while young people also bear the scars of addiction.
One young woman, Millie, told Channel 4 News: “I remember when I was 16, it was easier for me to get hold of substances that were illegal than it was alcohol.”
“I went from zero to a hundred with my drug use.”
Another said: “I actually can’t count the number of people I’ve lost; I know it was a minimum of like 6. I think the youngest we lost was 18.”
While high deprivation and lack of mental health services have been highlighted as reasons for the drug wave, there is no doubt it is largely being driven by the organised crime gangs (OCG) flooding the city with illicit substances.
In January, seven men were jailed for a total of more than 58 years after being convicted of conspiracy to supply cocaine.
During the course of the investigation, which began in October 2022, it emerged that the group used a series of “safe properties” where controlled drugs were stored and prepared, while harbouring firearms and cash.
More than eight kilograms of high purity cocaine with an estimated street value of £500,000, 18 kilos of Benzocaine (a cutting agent), a hydraulic press and drug paraphernalia were recovered.
Meth is so addictive because it gives me the energy to get out of bed in the morning – or more often nowadays, the afternoon – and try and get things done
Matty
Meanwhile, a well-respected volunteer at a junior football club was last year revealed to be leading a double-life as a major drug dealer who raked in over £500,000 from his criminal enterprise.
Benjamin Simons, alongside his his brother Leon, ran a major OCG dubbed the ‘Swansea Boys’ before they were caught with almost 1.8kg of high-purity cocaine.
Cops also discovered £53,000 in cash, weapons, quadbikes, a Jet Ski, and a box of designer watches, before the pair were jailed for six years.
In May last year, South Wales Police also seized the force’s largest amount of crystal meth after stopping a car in Cardiff.
A silver Audi was stopped in the Butetown area of the city and was found to contain several different types of drugs including the powerful man-made stimulant, according to South Wales Police.
A 56-year-old man from Somerset was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.
As well as “the largest seizure to date in south Wales of crystal meth,” police also found what they suspect to be ketamine, cocaine and ecstasy after stopping the car in Overstone Court.
GETTING HELP:
If you think that you have a drug addiction then please contact your GP.
You can also visit FRANK for honest information about drugs and to find local treatment services.
If you are having trouble finding the right help, call the FRANK drugs helpline on 03001236600
Or click here to visit the NHS website for more advice and support
Asked what he would say to young people who are beginning to experiment with crystal meth, or other highly-addictive drugs in Swansea today, Matty says: “I would tell anyone young or old to leave it alone while they still have a choice.
“The drug is evil. It will try to steal, kill and destroy your life.
“Crystal meth is not satisfied until it has taken it all from you – family, friends, job, finances and finally your freedom or your life. There is no upside to the end of crystal meth.”
A Welsh Government spokeswoman said: “Whilst drug misuse deaths have decreased slightly, every drug-related death is a tragedy and it is of deep concern that deaths from drug misuse in parts of Wales continue to remain high.
“Preventing the harm caused by drug misuse has been a key part of our substance misuse agenda and we’ve increased our investment in tackling substance misuse to almost £67million this year.
“We also work with key partners, including the NHS, the police and drug and alcohol charities to ensure support is available for people with substance misuse problems when they need it.”
A UK government spokesman said: “Illegal drugs devastate lives and every death is a tragedy.
“Our 10-year Drugs Strategy is tackling the illicit supply of drugs, relentlessly pursuing criminal networks, and building a world-class treatment system to turn people’s lives around and stop the cycle of crime.
“We are investing £780million over three years on treatment and recovery.
“In the first year alone we have increased the drug and alcohol treatment workforce and made over 50,000 drug tests on arrest – helping divert people towards life-changing services.”
GettyThe Welsh government has been accused of not taking enough action to deal with the drug crisis[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
