Seven men have been arrested and £10,000 in cash seized as Bedfordshire Police continued its crackdown on gangs, county lines and organised crime in Luton.
On Thursday, September 24, police executed three warrants at properties in Biscot Road, Luton. As a result, seven men were arrested on suspicion of drugs supply offences and currently remain in police custody.
At the addresses, officers found around £10,000 in cash, Class A and Class B drugs, a taser, and paraphernalia linked to drug dealing such as mobile phones and deal bags.
This enforcement action was supported by lots of proactive police work across different departments. Cyber specialists were on hand to check phones and other electronic devices at the scene, scene of crime officers carried out forensic work, while the dog unit were on hand to search for and detect drugs.
Detective Sergeant Tom Stean, from Bedfordshire Police’s intelligence team which led the operation, said: “This is an excellent result from the central tasking team as we are working hard to target those who are involved in organised criminal networks in Luton.
“These warrants are the result of building up an intelligence picture, excellent proactive work by Central Tasking Team and the Neighbourhood Enforcement Team. We will continue to make Bedfordshire a difficult place for organised criminal gangs to operate.
“Drugs cause significant impact on our communities, driving much of the serious violence, exploitation and antisocial behaviour which blights our residents.”
Detective Chief Inspector Louisa Glynn said: “After months of hard work, organisation and intelligence gathering, I am delighted with the results the team secured from this targeted operation. Organised crime is a priority for the force and we will endeavour to crack down on serious and organised crime, and put those responsible behind bars.”
Last week Bedfordshire Police carried out a county lines intensification week, which saw a teenager arrested and 15 years in jail terms for three men linked to a county lines drug conspiracy.
The force also continues to mount a sustained investigation targeting organised criminal networks in Luton which use encrypted mobile phones, as part of the national Operation Venetic.
So far more than 20 people have been charged in connection to this operation, with more than £300,000 in cash seized as well as eight firearms.
Anyone with any information about drugs or gang activity is asked to report it via bedfordshire.police.uk/report or to contact police on 101.
All this information is fed into police intelligence systems and can help officers get a better understanding of organised crime.
For more information or support about getting out of a gang, please visit bedsveru.org
