- Published
Amphetamine, cannabis, suspected cocaine, cash and weapons have been found in early morning raids across south Wales as part of a clampdown on e-bikes.
asserted
Amphetamine → publish → bikes
Police are growing increasingly concerned about the link between e-bikes, serious organised crime and child exploitation - with many suspected offences being committed by children.
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offences → grow → children
One senior officer said people were "fed up" of e-bikes "blighting" areas across the UK, while an expert said they could "grease the wheels" of organised crime.
uncertain
they → say → crime
The BBC has been given access to an operation by South Wales Police to combat e-bike related crime, from illegal riding, to drug dealing - a local response to a national problem.
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BBC → give → problem
It is six o'clock in the morning and the BBC has been invited to a police briefing involving undercover officers in Merthyr Tydfil.
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BBC → invite → Tydfil
Operation Grebe is a response to escalating concerns about illegal e-bike use across the UK.
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Grebe → escalate → UK
An organised crime officer, who cannot be identified, leads the briefing.
"
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who → identify → briefing
The aim is to disrupt criminal networks operating across the south Wales area, identify and safeguard vulnerable adults, children affected by criminal exploitation [and] seize criminal assets and disrupt criminal finances," he said.
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he → disrupt → finances
This operation is about seizing vehicles, but also disrupting the darker side of e-bikes.
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operation → seize → bikes
Officers have received intelligence that e-bikes and e-motorbikes may be linked to drug dealing in the area.
uncertain
bikes → receive → area
On a dark, wet, misty morning, police vans make their way to homes across south Wales.
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vans → make → Wales
"These e-bikes are blighting communities, they're making it unsafe for people to live - so we're taking action," said Supt Emma Fox, who oversees the raids.
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who → blight → raids
As the head of specialist operations within the force, she knows how potent a criminal tool e-bikes and e-motorbikes have become.
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bikes → know → tool
"It's prevalent across the UK," she said, adding e-bikes were "often linked to drug use, drug supply and organised criminality".
And she was particularly concerned about children on e-bikes being "exploited" by hardened criminals.
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children → say → criminals
Frankly, she said, "it's easier to avoid the police", on the bikes.
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it → say → bikes
But police forces are fighting back, and are employing increasingly sophisticated ways to tackle e-bike related crime including drones and their own fleets of e-motorbikes.
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forces → fight → motorbikes
Surrey Police launched Operation Scramble in response to e-bikes being linked to criminal activity - this year, the force seized 136 e-bikes, up from 127 in 2025.
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force → launch → 2025
Dr Timothy Holmes, senior lecturer in criminology and policing at Bangor University, said e-bikes could "grease the wheels" of organised crime.
uncertain
bikes → say → crime
"From a criminal activity point of view, it's a very versatile vehicle - it's easily manoeuvrable and goes at a high speed," he said.
"
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he → go → speed
They are becoming an emerging issue because they are so visible."
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they → become → ?
He compared the supply and availability of illegally held and adapted e-bikes and e-motorbikes to the illegal arms industry, where there is "a big legal industry" and an illegal industry "bleeding off from it".
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He → compare → it
He said, for police, it was a "balance" of "how much do you stop this escalating into a problem, in lieu of going after the more serious areas of organised crime, like drug trafficking like county lines".
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this → say → lines
In Merthyr Tydfil, the police van pulls up near a redbrick, semi-detached home.
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van → pull → home
Officers pour out and stand ready with a battering ram, but the front door is already open.
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door → pour → ram
Across the 14 raids, 12 bikes were seized.
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bikes → seize → raids
Some will be destroyed, and 11 people were arrested, including for suspected drugs offences.
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people → destroy → offences
Four people in the Swansea raid were charged with suspected drugs offences, including supply of crack cocaine and heroin.
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people → charge → cocaine
And in Merthyr Tydfil, Fox said there was a "significant seizure".
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Fox → say → Tydfil
"We have seized a quantity of drugs and cash - suspected cannabis and cocaine," she said.
"
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she → seize → drugs
The drugs have been found upstairs in the house."
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drugs → find → house
The suspected drugs will now be tested.
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drugs → suspect → ?
Alongside the suspected drugs and £1,300 in cash was an electric bike, electric motorbike, and a quad bike.
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bike → suspect → cash
Two people were arrested and taken away from the house in handcuffs.
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people → arrest → handcuffs
"It shows the link between the use of electric illegal bikes and criminality," Fox said.
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Fox → show → bikes
"Air weapons" had been found in the address, Fox said, which she added officers were "surprised" to find.
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officers → find → which
"We wouldn't have known about them, but it is something that has been recovered from the address," she said.
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she → know → address
Senior officers say they are investing in technology to combat e-bikes, but said this was not just a policing problem, and would need a broader effort to tackle the issue.
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this → say → issue
The Aporia
