Dark curse ravaging ‘UK's best high street' as pregnant mums targeted & criminals stamp sinister QR codes to lamp posts

The Sun

08-06-2025

PERCHED on a bench and sprawled on the manicured grass, four men and a women enjoy a loud animated conversation, swearing and oblivious to the young families nearby as they puff on cannabis joints.
They're soon joined by a dealer who brazenly rattles through his drug menu: 'I've got C (cocaine), keti-cut (ketamine cut with cocaine), xans (the antidepressant Xanax) gabbies (pregabalin – a prescription drug often used for epilepsy), anything you need,' he says.
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It's the kind of illegal trade that draws regular users to Pride Hill in Shrewsbury town centre - a sad indication of how a sharp rise in cocaine and drug use is blighting the area boasting 'Britain's best high street' according to The Telegraph.
No longer an after-dark secret in sprawling social housing estates, brazenly buying and selling gear in broad daylight just off the main pedestrianised shopping area is a common sight in Shrewsbury.
'It's like a drop-in centre for people with nowhere to go and nothing to do,' says a builder working in the town centre, pointing to the group.
'People know not to go near them because they can be aggressive if they're not asleep.
'Sadly it's a sign of the times. It's school half term and people are going into the castle grounds with their children without realising what's happening.'
In nearby Wyle Cop, a charming shopping street lined with 39 listed buildings, retired aerospace worker John Edwards, 70, points out evidence of how dark web drug marketing has evolved to open websites.
Silver stickers embossed with QR codes are plastered on public litter bins, bus stops and lampposts in the town - recently named the best place to live in Shropshire and one of the best in the Midlands by The Sunday Times.
'You see these stickers all over the place, advertising drugs with QR codes,' he says. 'A smartphone scan links you to websites selling drugs.
'Every time I see one I scrape them off, but they just seem to reappear.'
John, who spruces signs and bus shelters on a voluntary basis and is a regular sight in the town with his cleaning trolley, says drug use there is not easy to stamp out.
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'I would say it's far more prevalent than ever here in Shrewsbury,' he tells The Sun.
'You might see the odd car stopping and people on the street, but they're gone before anyone reports them.
'I know there have been issues with country lines dealers who come out of Wrexham and Merseyside probably knowing they can drum up trade in the shires.'
Ron, 64, who runs a key cutting business in the town centre says drug abuse has risen in the town.
'I have a homeless bloke who sells cocaine and other drugs but is harmless. I don't know where he stays but he often pops in for a coffee,' he says.
'Drugs are all over the place, not just in Shrewsbury. If you go up the hill at the side of the castle, you can often see evidence of empty wrappers littered on the ground.'
Pregnant women targeted
A 60-year-old local midwife, who asks not to be named, says she sees first-hand the heartbreaking evidence of increased cocaine use among young pregnant women when she carries out antenatal screening.
'There is a definite rise in cocaine and ketamine use among youngsters living in social housing,' she says.
'I see it as part of my job. I do about two toxicology tests a week and I'm sad to say, there's usually evidence of cocaine or cocaine mixed with something.
'These young girls don't realise the long-term damage it can do to unborn babies, like premature birth, growth defects and eye development.'
I do about two toxicology tests a week and I'm sad to say, there's usually evidence of cocaine or cocaine mixed with something. These young girls don't realise the long-term damage it can do to unborn babies
Local midwife
Trainee chef Grant Lewis, 18, says the homeless population in particular are being targeted by drug gangs.
'I know the police try to crack down on county line dealing across Shrewsbury and Shropshire, but the organised crime gangs will always go where there's money to be made and people to be exploited,' he says.
'You can see people blatantly taking drugs in the daytime in town and you can smell the weed in the air.'
His girlfriend, student Abi-Lou Foster, 19, says even though she and Grant don't drink and have never taken drugs, she knows friends who take cocaine without thinking of the long-term addictive consequences.
'To be honest, I don't even think they do it out of boredom,' she says. 'It's more that they think it's cool to do it, even though they get out of control and have to find the money to pay for it.
'I live in Market Drayton and sadly, the use of cocaine seems a lot more common there.'
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Stench of weed
Retired manufacturing worker Martin Kerr, 66, says dealers often turned up in cars in the Brunel Drive area of Shrewsbury or do deals on the nearby bridge.
'I think things are the same in any UK town now because there's so much poverty and homelessness,' he says.
'It's a shame because Shrewsbury is a lovely place to live, but I suppose you're always going to get some areas where there's a demand for drugs.'
Taxi driver Paul Ryder, 64, is used to ferrying passengers who sometimes ask him to wait around the corner from where they are meeting dealers.
I keep air freshener in the car because some passengers get in stinking of weed. Sometimes it's so strong it makes my eyes water and I have to open the window
Taxi driver Paul Ryder
'Cocaine, ketamine and cannabis use is common nowadays,' he says.
'I see dealers pull up in big expensive cars when I drop off passengers. I mind my own business because I don't want any trouble, but I refuse to take anyone who looks like they're on something.
'I keep air freshener in the car because some passengers get in stinking of weed. Sometimes it's so strong it makes my eyes water and I have to open the window.
'Towns like Shrewsbury are fair game for county line suppliers. It's a different world now.'
Depending on the dealer, cocaine can be picked up for around £40 a half gram, £80 a gram or three half gram bags for £100. Cannabis is around £10 a gram.
£80million haul
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In February this year, four men in their 30s, 40s and 60s were arrested and released on bail after a huge haul of cocaine worth £80million was recovered as part of a National Crime Agency investigation.
The suspects were arrested in the sleepy Shropshire village of Merrington after Border Force searched a shipping container and found 847.5 kilos of the Class A drug on December 23 at Tilbury Docks in Essex.
A woman in her 40s was also arrested on suspicion of money laundering and released under investigation.
Last October two men were jailed for a total of nine years for their part in a county lines drugs operation in Shrewsbury.
Connor Sholliker, 24, of Wilson Road in Prescot, Merseyside was sentenced to six years for being concerned in the supply of class A drugs - crack cocaine and heroin.
And Kaine Currens, 23, of Manor Road in Hadley, Telford was handed a three-year sentence for being concerned in the supply of the same substances.
The pair were sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court following a proactive investigation by the local organised crime team.
It was quickly established that both men were part of the 'Kev' county line, which operated from Merseyside and was responsible for bringing large quantities of class A drugs into Shrewsbury.
Evidence showed both men had links to phone numbers identified as drug lines used to run the dealing network.
As part of their operation they targeted vulnerable young people and used their homes as a base for their drug dealing - a practice known as 'cuckooing'.
Following their conviction, Detective Constable Andrea Marston, of the local organised crime team in Shropshire, said drugs were a blight on the community and ruined lives.
'We're constantly working to rid our streets of drugs and I'm glad that we've been able to dismantle this line and that Sholliker and Currens will now face time behind bars for their part in it.
We won't underestimate the impact that drug use has on the communities we protect and serve and it's something we take incredibly seriously
West Mercia Police spokesperson
'The local community are key in helping us to tackle drug dealing and I'd always urge anyone with any information or concerns about drug dealing or drug use in their area to let us know.'
Last June two men were handed confiscation orders at Shrewsbury Crown Court after being jailed in September 2023 for multiple drugs offences.
Drugs with an estimated street value of between £100k -£120k and £72,916 cash were seized in April 2023 after police carried out warrants at two properties in Shrewsbury.
According to the latest data, the crime rate in the Marshalls Court area of Shrewsbury is 2.76 times higher than the town average, with drug and gun-related crimes 3.66 times higher.
In Barleyfield, the crime rate is 2.26 times higher than the Shrewsbury average with drug and gun-related crimes 1.49 times higher.
A West Mercia Police spokesperson said: 'The use of drugs is unfortunately an issue in all towns and cities across the UK.
'We won't underestimate the impact that drug use has on the communities we protect and serve and it's something we take incredibly seriously.
'Drug dealers prey on some of the most vulnerable people in society and their presence in turn causes more crime such as shoplifting, burglary and anti-social behaviour.
'Our officers continue to work hard to prevent and tackle drug use by engaging with our local communities, as well as working close with partners including the NHS, housing providers and local drug support charities.
'Where appropriate, we can and do take robust action against those who supply drugs.'
Cllr Alex Wagner, Shropshire Council deputy leader said: "Shrewsbury is a fantastic and historic town but sadly has the same issues as so many others – in the town centre, the impact of drug use can sometimes be quite visible.
'Public Health in Shropshire has a Partnership approach in place as part of the Safeguarding Community Partnership. There is a Tackling Drugs and Alcohol Group which is attended by a number of organisations, such as Public Health, Police, Homelessness and Drug and Alcohol services.
'The group looks to address how the footprint meets the National Strategy - From Harm to Hope.
"In Shropshire there is a very clear harm reduction perspective, with early help and recovery services supporting those most vulnerable at its centre.
"If you or someone you know may have a problem with alcohol or drugs, the Shropshire Council website details what support is available.'
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