Major UK Drugs Bust Hits Six Cities
Police have smashed a sprawling drug network in a massive operation across the UK. Heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine and cannabis were seized, along with a suspected handgun found at a property in Foxley Close, E8.
On Wednesday 24 March, law enforcement executed 29 warrants spanning London, Bristol, Plymouth and all the way to Aberdeen in northeast Scotland. The multi-force effort involved the Met, Kent, Essex, Avon & Somerset, Devon & Cornwall, and Police Scotland.
16 Arrested in Crackdown on Class A and B Drug Supply
Sixteen suspects aged 25 to 43 were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs. One detainee also faces firearm possession charges. Officers targeted 20 addresses within London, zeroing in on the heart of the network.
Detective Inspector Tom Pearse, Met Specialist Crime Command, said: “The drug trade doesn’t stop at the M25. It spills into the Home Counties and beyond, often dragging violence behind it. Working with other police forces, we’ve cut out middle players and top dogs making over a million pounds a year.”
Operation Began in 2020, Crippling UK-Wide Drug Routes
The investigation kicked off in April 2020 after intel pointed to a Hackney group running supply routes nationwide. Officers tracked the network’s regional coordinators, crippling their operations and preparing to seize assets earned through crime.
DI Pearse added: “These arrests disrupt the drug market and hit violent crime hard in London and surrounding areas. Our team worked tirelessly, and while this network is down, we’re already moving on to the next. There’s no loyalty in drug dealing, only exploitation.”
He urged the public to report any drug or violence-related info, anonymously if preferred, via local police or Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
List of Targeted Addresses
- Cropley Street, Hackney, N1
- Meadow Walk, South Woodford, Redbridge, E18
- Leatherhead Close, Hackney, N16
- Longbridge Road, Barking, IG11
- Foxley Close, E8
- Homerton Road, Hackney, E9
- Cortland Close, Ilford, IG8
- Hatton Gardens, EC1N
- Dunnock Close, Edmonton, Enfield, N9
- Harleston Close, E5
- Hoe Lane, Enfield, EN3
- River Gardens Walk, SE10
- Marks Road, Romford, RM7
- Southwold Road, Hackney, E5
- Amhurst Park, N16
- Shaftesbury Street, Hackney, N1
- Highbury Grange, Islington, N5
- Harrington Hill, E5
- Forest Drive West, Leytonstone, E11
- Amhurst Road, Hackney, E8
- Henderson Place, Plymouth, PL2
- Union Street, Plymouth, PL1
- Craigie Drive, Plymouth, PL1
- Kit Hill Crescent, Plymouth, PL5
- Viburnum Crescent, Almondsbury, Bristol, BS32
- Elizabeth II Avenue, Berkhamsted, HP4
- Oliver Road, Shenfield, Essex, CM15
- St Anne’s Road, Mountnessing, Brentwood, CM15
- Hillview Road, Aberdeen, AB15
