THE three South Wales police forces will share £500,000 to help fund their fight against drugs.

The cash was announced ahead of home secretary David Blunkett's visit to South Wales today. He was attending a meeting this afternoon in Aberdare to discuss the problem of Class A drug use and supply with frontline experts working in the community.

The £500,000 from the Home Office will be used by the Gwent, South Wales and Dyfed-Powys police forces to strengthen intelligence-led police operations to combat middle market drug dealers.

The announcement follows recent discussions between the home secretary, the secretary of State for Wales, and Welsh MPs about how Wales can tackle increasing drug dealing and criminal activity.

Mr Blunkett said: "I have listened to the concerns of local MPs and agreed to grant this extra funding to tackle the specific problems in South Wales.

"I am not here to make a grand speech but to meet people working firsthand with drugs problems in a Valleys community and to hear about their experiences."

Police chiefs met in August to launch Operation Tarian - an unprecedented co-operation between the Gwent, South Wales and Dyfed Powys forces to target suppliers of class A drugs like cocaine and heroin.

The operation was launched by Gwent's Chief Superintendent Andy Mackien and other top officers in response to the worsening problem of drugs gangs in South Wales, and the shootings and punishment beatings they bring with them.

Police operations like Trident in London and Atrium in Bristol have made gangsters look to Gwent and South Wales as new areas to ply their deadly trade.