UK - Police smash their way into suspected drugs den

[Pondlife]

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/local..._drugs_den.php

Police smash their way into suspected drugs den
By Miles Godfrey

Police used a two tonne tractor to smash their way into a suspected cannabis café tonight.

Officers mounted the surprise operation on the fortified building in Freshbrook Road, Lancing, just before 6pm.

Using the agricultural vehicle they tore down the wall of the café, which officers say has been used as a drugs den for a number of months, and poured through the opening.

Tonight 15 people found inside the premises were being questioned by detectives on suspicion of drugs offences.

A fingertip search of the building was also being carried out in a bid to establish what substances were present.

Police raided the café in July and made three arrests and seized a small quantity of cannabis along with cash.

During that raid a large plume of smoke was seen rising from a chimney as officers used a battering ram to break in. A similar plume was spotted tonight.

Adur district commander Chief Inspector Lawrence Hobbs said: "We first visited here on July 19 and since then we have been building up a case for the Crown Prosecution Service.

"We've raided the place again really to undermine our determination to close it down and also to gather further evidence.

"There's been a lot of public support for what we are doing this evening.

"This sends a message that we are not going to tolerate open-air drug-dealing."

The café, which is around 50 metres down a slip road off Freshbrook Road, was fortified with metal poles and tyres. CCTV cameras linked to a television inside were clearly visible.

Ch Insp Hobbs said further results of the raid would be made public tomorrow.

Visit our website tomorrow to see video footage of the raid and the full length interview with Ch Insp Hobbs.

7:45pm Thursday 11th October 2007

Here are links to two videos of the raid. The first is from the Worthing Herald and shows aftermath of the tractor deployment, the stormtroopers moving in and a piece to camera by Chief Inspector Lawrence Hobbs. The second is from The Argus and shows the tractor pulling the wall down with a voiceover by a journalist.
http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/loc...=3677&catid=39
http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/loc...=3684&catid=39

[Alfa]

Please include pictures and (when available) video.

[robert whitfield]

11/10/07

Police used a two tonne tractor to smash their way into a suspected cannabis café tonight.

Officers mounted the surprise operation on the fortified building in Freshbrook Road, Lancing, just before 6pm.

Using the agricultural vehicle they tore down the wall of the café, which officers say has been used as a drugs den for a number of months, and poured through the opening.

Tonight 15 people found inside the premises were being questioned by detectives on suspicion of drugs offences.

A fingertip search of the building was also being carried out in a bid to establish what substances were present.

Police raided the café in July and made three arrests and seized a small quantity of cannabis along with cash.

During that raid a large plume of smoke was seen rising from a chimney as officers used a battering ram to break in. A similar plume was spotted tonight.

Adur district commander Chief Inspector Lawrence Hobbs said: "We first visited here on July 19 and since then we have been building up a case for the Crown Prosecution Service.

"We've raided the place again really to undermine our determination to close it down and also to gather further evidence.

"There's been a lot of public support for what we are doing this evening.

"This sends a message that we are not going to tolerate open-air drug-dealing."

The café, which is around 50 metres down a slip road off Freshbrook Road, was fortified with metal poles and tyres. CCTV cameras linked to a television inside were clearly visible.

Ch Insp Hobbs said further results of the raid would be made public tomorrow.

Visit our website tomorrow to see video footage of the raid and the full length interview with Ch Insp Hobbs.

For more information about crime in your area visit localinfo.theargus.co.uk.

[toighttoiger]

i'd like to know how they justified destoying a building after they found a small amount of weed and some cash. I love how drug agents think. Jesus fuck that makes me angry (it must be the drugs fueling my intense anger)

[Evil GIR]

Intresting but I wish people would leave links with their news storys.

[Pondlife]

There's another thread about this containing a link here: http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=40198

The two threads should probably be merged.

[dr ACE]

this is madness!,i think alot of these authoritiy police type figures REALLY get off on this kind of thing, scary, sad really.what happend to human rights?

[Mint boi]

Originally Posted by Chief Inspector Lawrence Hobbs

"We've raided the place again really to undermine our determination to close it down and also to gather further evidence.

Undermine:
1. To weaken by wearing away a base or foundation: Water has undermined the stone foundations.
2. To weaken, injure, or impair, often by degrees or imperceptibly; sap: Late hours can undermine one's health.

....?

[FuBai]

Originally Posted by mint boi

Undermine:
1. To weaken by wearing away a base or foundation: Water has undermined the stone foundations.
2. To weaken, injure, or impair, often by degrees or imperceptibly; sap: Late hours can undermine one's health.

....?

Exactly what I was about to say. Does he really want to "undermine" his determination? Another bobby thrust into politics who thinks using big words will make him seem intelligent, whether or not those words are correctly applied, when in fact it does the opposite.

[Pondlife]

Originally Posted by mint boi

"We've raided the place again really to undermine our determination to close it down"

I suspect that Hobbs actually said underline rather than undermine, and it got wrongly quoted by the journalist. Or perhaps it was a slip of the tongue and he meant to say underline and it came out wrong.

[dr ACE]

"We've raided the place again really to undermine our determination to close it down and also to gather further evidence.

does'nt make any sense at all when you think about it, LOL


damm!, if only they had fortified the walls with re-enforced concrete,kept packs of large dangerous dogs ie;- Alsatians,pit bulls,japanese Akitas, large metal fences with barbed wire,re-enforced steel plated doors,then maybe none of this violence would have occurred

[Pondlife]

The Argus have the video online now at: http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/video...r.8456.0.0.php

This is different from the Worthing Herald video that I posted in the original article, and it shows the tractor being used to pull the wall down (actually, it looks like they were trying to pull the window out, but ended up pulling the wall down).

[FuBai]

When it is reported that a certain police action "sends out a strong message that x will not be tolerated" I just laugh - few people will ever hear of this raid, previous raids have not worked as a deterrent even within the same property so the message is defunct.

[Panthers007]

Threads merged.

Reputation Comments on this post:

A little bit of green :)

[~lostgurl~]

Please edit your post and change the video link to forum archive link that I have added for you: Police smash their way into suspected drugs den (UK)