Drugs and weapons seized in police operation

More than £6,000 worth of drugs have been seized along with knives and burner phones, as part of a Bedfordshire Police operation to tackle drug dealing in Bedford on Tuesday (8 March).

Officers from the force’s Intelligence capability and Central Tasking Team were involved in the operation, which looked to target a phone line linked to the sale of class A and class B substances.

Significant numbers of deal-ready bags of drugs were seized, including 174 individual wraps of heroin and 262 individual deals of crack cocaine.

Several knives were also seized, along with multiple mobile phones thought to be used to arrange drug deals.

Three 17-year-old boys were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A controlled drugs, and were later released under investigation.

Detective Chief Inspector Aaron Kiff said: “To stop so many wraps of such dangerous substances making it onto our streets is an important result and will have a real impact on the availability of illegal drugs in Bedfordshire.

“We know that drugs are behind much of the violence and exploitation we see in our communities and are directly linked to many other criminal acts, such as burglary and robbery.

“I would urge anyone with information on drug dealing or drug-related activity in their area to report it to us right away. All intelligence reports help us build a picture of criminality and help coordinate our response to tackle it.”

To report information on drug dealing, visit our online reporting centre or call 101.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The Bedfordshire Violence and Exploitation Reduction Unit (VERU) takes a public health approach to a number of issues, treating them as a public health issue that can be prevented from happening. 

Anyone who wants further information can contact the VERU online.