Drugs seized by police in city centre raids

Police in Gloucester have seized Class A drugs from a street in the city following a joint operation with HMRC on Wednesday morning (19 May).

The illicit narcotics were found as officers from Gloucestershire Constabulary, assisted by colleagues from HMRC, searched business premises in Barton Street, Gloucester, and a residential address nearby, in relation to the suspected sale of illicit tobacco and alcohol.

More than 100 wraps of cannabis were also confiscated in the operation, which involved officers from across the Force.

HMRC officers seized a quantity of suspected illicit tobacco and cigarettes from a number of retail premises and the residential property. Investigations are ongoing.

Officers will continue to patrol the area to reassure the public and to engage with members of the local community. Police would like to thank everyone for their cooperation at this time.

The response from local residents has been positive, with many thanking the police for their actions this week.

The operation involved officers from Neighbourhood Policing Teams around the county, Support Group officers, the Tutor Assessment Unit, Mounted Section, Force Intelligence Bureau, Operations Planning, Force Control Room, Duty Planning Unit, Dog Unit and CID.

Sergeant Grant White, who led the operation, said: “This was massive effort to put together, and the community response after the event was fantastic.

“Listening to concerns that have been raised by the community, a multi-agency approach has ensured that not only has illicit tobacco been taken off the streets, but a quantity of both Class A and Class B drugs have also been recovered. 

“We are now investigating these offences. I would like to thank the community for raising their concerns and would encourage them to continue to come to us with any issues they wish to raise so as to produce further positive results in the future.”