Coventry gang members behind £1.6m drug operation
Nine men were today jailed for over 70 years for their involvement in a £1.6m drug operation from the Netherlands. Who were they?
CCTV: addicts run to Class A dealer like 'ice-cream van'
West Midlands Police has released a video of tens of addicts flocking after drug dealer car's in Birmingham
Man caught with cocaine in 'secret suitcase' jailed
A man who was caught trying to smuggle half a million pounds worth of cocaine into the UK has been jailed for six and a half years.
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Former Britain's most wanted man faces long jail term
West Midlands Police say they have cracked the drugs ring headed by Black Country's notorious criminal John Anslow.
Anslow was cleared of the murder of a Staffordshire man at Woolwich Crown Court yesterday.
However the case allowed police to uncover details of his role overseeing cocaine and cannabis supply across the country.
Anslow, who was once Britain's most wanted man, was discovered when police followed a local drug dealer to an address where evidence linked back to Anslow.
He was found by police hiding out with 8 grams of cocaine in a Bewdley caravan park.
Investigating officer Mike Greenland from West Midlands Police said:
John Anslow headed up an organisation that distributed drugs in the West Midlands and other parts of the United Kingdom. It was an extensive, organised crime gang that’s also seen his associates receive lengthy custodial sentences.
Birmingham man sentenced after drugs bust
22-year-old David Mitchell has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for drug related offences.
He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and cannabis at Birmingham Crown Court.
It comes after police executed a drugs warrant in Kingstanding Road at the start of the year. Mitchell was found in a caravan on the driveway of the property with a large quantity of crack cocaine.
PC Luke Mincher from Birmingham North Police said:
"The drugs haul was estimated to have a total street value of almost £10,000. We are pleased with the court’s sentencing and hope that anyone with information about drug dealing will have the confidence to contact us, so that we can take action."
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Police say it's 'only the tip of the iceberg' after drugs bust.
– Detective Chief Inspector Mark Loader, leads the West Mercia Serious and Organised Crime Unit.In terms of value, this is one of the biggest investigations West Mercia Police has ever conducted into the illegal drugs trade.
While we have seized approximately £10million worth of Class A and B drugs, we think it is only the tip of an iceberg. We believe the conspiracy has been responsible for hundreds of millions of pounds worth of drugs being smuggled into the UK.
We also have evidence that shows these drugs have been sold from the West Midlands region to organised criminal groups nationally who are dealing drugs across the country.
Police drug smuggling operation success in Midlands
Officers from West Mercia Police have arrested ten people in an investigation into the smuggling of of drugs into the UK potentially worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
The arrests took place this morning across the West Midlands region and in the Netherlands.
The suspects were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to import a Class A controlled drug and a Class B controlled drug.
The operation has been ongoing since November 2012 and during that time £10million of drugs have been seized.
Police arrest ten people as part of drug smuggling operation
Officers from West Mercia Police have arrested ten people in an investigation into the smuggling of drugs into the UK potentially worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
The arrests took place this morning across the West Midlands region as well as in the Netherlands as part of an operation into the importation of cannabis, amphetamines and MDMA, the main constituent of Ecstasy.
It follows nine arrests made in Newent, Glos, on 4th July 2013, when drugs with a street value of almost £4 million were also seized.
Ten properties raided in Birmingham drug busts
We've just raided 10 properties across Birmingham in a series of simultaneous drugs raids. http://t.co/CMCi76TuSM
LIVE: Follow breaking updates from today's drugs operation in Birmingham on our website NOW. RT: http://t.co/40LS9XIGQZ
We're working with communities and partners to say 'No Deal' to drugs in Birmingham. Latest: http://t.co/40LS9XIGQZ http://t.co/YHG4AY5zyb
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Cannabis, cocaine and MDMA found in Brownhills raid
Thirty officers were involved in the raid which uncovered an enormous drug haul in Brownhills.
Experts continue to chemically analyse the substances. Conservative estimates put the drugs value at £10million but purity tests could see the value of the seizure rocket to £30million.
Seizure tally:
• Cannabis x 120 1kg bags
• Cocaine x 5 1kg bricks
• MDMA x 50 1kg bags
Brownhills drug haul 'one of the largest' in force's history
– Detective Sergeant Carl Russell, West Midlands PoliceThis is the largest seizure of drugs I have secured in my 24 year career with West Midlands Police. It is also one of the largest in the force’s 39 year history.
The impact this seizure will have on drug dealing in the region and the UK as a whole cannot be underestimated.
The drugs had almost certainly been packed to order ready for shipping within Britain but possibly even further afield.
Our operation will have a national effect and we are working closely with a range of law enforcement agencies to identify those involved in this crime at whatever level.
Police uncover huge £30m drug haul in Brownhills
Drugs worth up to £30 million have been seized in what seasoned detectives are describing as the largest hauls in their careers.
Cannabis, cocaine and MDMA, more commonly known as Ecstasy, weighing almost 200 kilograms were uncovered at a unit on the Maybrook industrial estate in Brownhills as part of an intelligence led policing operation.
Officers swooped on the unit at around 5pm on Wednesday (27 November) but details have only today been released following a full assessment of the haul by forensic investigators, drugs experts and the force’s top detectives.
The drugs were packed into six large cardboard boxes wrapped in cellophane and placed onto five freight pallets for discreet delivery.
When officers opened the boxes they discovered a deep layer of protective foam chips beneath which the drugs were carefully layered.
All the drugs were wrapped in thick plastic bags taped closed with the cannabis vacuum packed to prevent its distinctive pungent aroma from drawing unwanted attention.
When officers swooped on the unit the drugs were being unloaded. The haul was so large that officers needed a forklift truck to load the drugs onto a police flat-bed lorry.
Two men aged 50 and 53 from Brownhills were arrested on suspicion of supplying a controlled drug along with a 51-year-old man from Norton in Stoke-on-Trent. All three who were arrested at the unit have been released on conditional police bail while enquiries continue.
Huge £30million drug haul found in Brownhills
Drugs worth up to £30million have been seized in what seasoned detectives are describing as the largest hauls in their careers.
Cannabis, cocaine and MDMA, more commonly known as Ecstasy, weighing almost 200 kilograms were uncovered at a unit on the Maybrook industrial estate in Brownhills as part of an intelligence led policing operation.