Drug raids carried out at the crack of dawn on Wednesday led to the arrest of 12 people in Tower Hamlets.

A team of 130 police, including 100 territorial support officers, were involved in the operation, which targeted addresses identified as possible drug dens.

The raids were part of Operation Hawk, an ongoing investigation into drug dealing in the borough, and included searches of premises and the siezure of property for forensic examination.

Chief inspector Nigel Nottidge from Tower Hamlets police said: “This is another demonstration that police and partner agencies will take robust action to deal with allegations of crime. We have put in place a number of measures to reassure the community who may have seen a large police presence this morning.”