Sussex Police joins crackdown on London drugs gangs

Sussex Police joined the Metropolitan Police and forces across the south east for Operation Pandilla.

It has seen the arrests of 154 suspects in London in just one week.

Officers have used ANPR cameras to track gangs from the capital as they moved drugs into surrounding counties.

The Met said 49 knife were seized and with 27 vehicles, and there were 78 seizures of drugs.

One man had a massive hunting knife stashed in his trousers, while another was stopped while carrying 250 wraps of class A drugs.

More than 150 arrests were made as Sussex Police joined the Metropolitan Police to tackle London drugs gangs bringing drugs, violence and crime to surrounding counties

There were 18 offenders referred to a youth intervention programme aimed to stop them re-offending.

Meanwhile of the 154 arrests, 62 were also slapped with fines for breaking the coronavirus lockdown rules.

Acting Inspector Pete Luciano, of the Violent Crime Task Force, said: “Drugs and violence devastate lives and destroy communities, therefore operations such as this are imperative in our drive to make communities safer.

More than 150 arrests were made as Sussex Police joined the Metropolitan Police to tackle London drugs gangs bringing drugs, violence and crime to surrounding counties

“Since the pandemic, offenders have relied on vehicles to enable their criminality compared with other modes of transport, and we have adapted our tactics to respond to this change.

“The results from this operation show there is an undeniable link between drugs and violent crime.

More than 150 arrests were made as Sussex Police joined the Metropolitan Police to tackle London drugs gangs bringing drugs, violence and crime to surrounding counties

“We are absolutely committed to build on work with our partners to remove illegal drugs and weapons, arrest those who cause destruction through their criminality and protect the most vulnerable.”