Police have taken a gun off the streets of Bedfordshire after they found the firearm in a washing machine during a warrant.
Officers also recovered a sword and Class A drugs during the warrant in Bedford on Monday, October 11, 2021.
A man in his 60s from Bedford was arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm and being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug as a result of the warrant.
It marks the second successful seizure by Bedfordshire Police in proactive operations to tackle serious and organised crime in a matter of days.
On Friday, October 8, officers executed another warrant in Dunstable after intercepting a package which contained Class A drugs.
As a result of the warrant officers recovered cocaine, ecstasy, magic mushrooms and cannabis, as well as £1,000 in cash, pepper spray and a knuckle duster.
A man in his 30s from Dunstable was arrested on suspicion of importing a controlled drug, possession with intent to supply Class A and Class B drugs, possession of a firearm and possession of an offensive weapon.
Detective Inspector Tom Stean, from Bedfordshire Police’s intelligence team, said: “These significant seizures are just the latest successes in our fight against serious and organised crime.
“They demonstrate that wherever we find the supply of illegal drugs, we will invariably find weapons and people ready and willing to get involved in serious violence.
“We are tireless in our pursuit of the drug dealing networks which drive so much of the violence and exploitation that blights our communities.”
Both men arrested have been released on police bail, pending further enquiries.
Anyone with any information about drug dealing is asked to report it via Bedfordshire.police.uk/report
All of this information is fed into police intelligence systems and helps officers build up a picture of organised crime, even if they do not act on the information straight away.
Alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously through crimestoppers-uk.org
If you have concerns about gangs, knife crime and child criminal exploitation you can contact the Bedfordshire Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit via bedsveru.org