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Eight arrests were made across a Kent Police operation which also led to class A drugs, cash and six vehicles being seized.
Proactive patrolling by the North Kent Community Policing Team, in marked and unmarked vehicles, alongside the execution of drug warrants helped achieve the results across the Dartford and Gravesham Districts.
Significant disruption was caused for people who are alleged to be involved in supplying heroin and cocaine, and a large quantity of intelligence was gathered for further review by detectives.
Drug warrants and seizures
- Early success came when a warrant under the Misuse of Drugs Act was carried out in Sandpiper Close, Greenhithe, on 3 May.
- Cannabis was located at the property, along with £2,000 in cash – money that is suspected to be the proceeds of crime.
- The next day a different warrant led to cocaine, with a street value of £2,500, being seized from a property in Havelock Road, Gravesend. Also recovered was around £1,000 in cash, mobile phones and drug paraphernalia.
- A 20-year-old man was arrested in connection with the warrant and he has since been released under investigation.
Drug supply charge
- Thirty-three wraps of alleged class A drugs were seized after a vehicle was stopped in Victoria Road, Dartford, on 6 May.
- Caleb Umenyiora, 22, of Cotswold Gardens, East Ham, was later charged with possessing crack cocaine and heroin with intent to supply.
- He was additionally charged with driving without insurance or a licence and has been remanded in custody to appear before Maidstone Crown Court on 6 June.
Vehicle seizures
- Six cars were seized over the course with the operation, including a vehicle which had been linked to a robbery that had taken place in Hesketh Park at around 5pm on 5 May.
- The suspect car was stopped and seized later that night with two men, aged 18 and 22, also detained.
- The older of the two men has been released on bail until 29 May, with the younger released under investigation.
House fire
- On 13 May, officers were joined by volunteers from the Kent Special Constabulary. Between them, they assisted firefighters who tended to a house fire in Pelham Road, Gravesend.
After the flames had been safely extinguished, a cannabis cultivation was located inside and plants with an estimated street value of £50,000 were removed. Enquiries to locate any suspects are ongoing.
Other arrests
- As a result of additional proactive work, which was supported by the Metropolitan Police, officers stopped a vehicle in Littlebrook on 9 May.
- The stop was made due to suspicions an occupant was connected to a robbery which took place in Temple Hill in January. A 20-year-old man was subsequently arrested and interviewed by officers before being released under investigation.
- On 11 May, the team was tasked with locating a teenage boy who is alleged to have breached a court order. He was tracked to a garden in Combfield Gardens, arrested and put before the court.
- An outstanding suspect for a domestic abuse case was also located by the Divisional Support Unit in Singlewell Road on 3 May.
He was taken into custody for an interview before being released on bail until 26 May.
Stolen property recovered
- A stolen vehicle was also found abandoned in Sheridan Court with enquiries revealing it had been stolen from an address in Orpington in January.
- A stolen motorbike was also located at a property in Swanscombe on 11 May. It had been stolen from an address in Rochester earlier that week.
No room for drug dealing
Inspector Trevor Jenner, from the Dartford Community Safety Unit, said: ‘Proactive policing takes place each and every day across north Kent and we will always target individuals who we suspect are causing harm to our communities.
‘Our concentrated efforts over this particular fortnight caused considerable disruption to people who we allege are involved in organised criminality and we will continue to pursue the most proportionate outcome for these investigations.
‘We will never show any tolerance for drug dealing and will always use a variety of tactics to take robust and proportionate action. This includes obtaining warrants to enter properties, or using intelligence reports to proactively search for, and stop, vehicles linked to criminality.
‘Everyone has a role to play to help us stop drug dealing and residents with concerns about such offending in their area are urged to report it to us through our website or by calling 101. If a crime is in progress, dial 999.’