East End drugs cops nab 400 in ‘dealer-a-day’ swoops
Drug operations involving police and local authority ‘hit’ squads have led to more than 400 dealers being taken off the streets of London’s East End, latest figures out today reveal.
The biggest operation was on Stepney’s massive Ocean housing estate where 17 arrests were made.
The Met has been working with Tower Hamlets council targeting a ‘dealer a day’ to collar 365 known pushers—one for every day of the year.
“Work to tackle the scourge of drug dealing will continue this year,” warned Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman. “It’s great that we have gone passed our daily target.”
The swoop last summer on the Ocean Estate involved covert tactics to snare known suppliers into selling crack and heroin to undercover cops.
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Charges involved 71 offences including Class A drugs. The ‘sting’ recovered �10,000 in drugs and cash and a firearm and ammunition. Jail sentences totalled more than 40 years.
The ‘dealer a day’ operations led to 404 arrests in the 12 months to March 31, as well as closing down crack houses, targeting known offenders and seizing their property and money.
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The council provided funding for the police operation, while the cops provided the mussel.
