Drugs squad swoops on five houses

More than 40 officers smashed their way into five houses in the town centre and further afield yesterday.

They uncovered class A drugs, piles of cash and other evidence which they say is linked to dealing.

Sgt Scott Hargreave, who co-ordinated the simultaneous raids, said he was happy with the day's work.

In Jennings Street, Rodbourne, an ordinary looking house hid a pile of crack cocaine and heroin.

Some of the drugs were thrown into the next-door neighbour's garden in a desperate bid to get away with it.

Police arrested one man, from Birmingham, who was carrying a substantial amount of money.

Police believe he had travelled to Swindon to buy drugs.

Six people were searched in the property where the pictures on the walls of squirrels and foxes were a stark contrast to the homemade bongs, needles and other drugs paraphernalia that littered most rooms.

Sgt Hargreave said: "A quantity of class A drugs, I would guess both crack cocaine and heroin, has been located, along with some heroin.

"At Jennings Street one man was found with a fair old bit of cash which would suggest they have just started dealing this afternoon. We have also found numerous items of electrical property we believe to be stolen.

"In total there must have been 12 or 13 phones in the house in Jennings Street with only six people so they have also been seized."

The five properties are each believed to be used by the same group of people.

As well as Jennings Street the other houses were in Emlyn Square, in the Railway Village, Oxford Street, North Street in Old Town and Westbourne Court, in Rodbourne.

The armed response units broke down the doors and once inside police used a sniffer dog to help find any drugs.

The property in Westbourne Court was the only empty building but police did find a small quantity of class A drugs there.

"The people involved are people that we know about and have been operating in Swindon for some time," Sgt Hargreave said.

"The main function is to cause as much disruption to this group as we can and get them out of these addresses.

"We want to disrupt them as much as they are disrupting the communities they are in.

"We want to let them know that we know who they are and we are going to keep on at them.

At the house in Emlyn Square there was evidence of heroin and crack cocaine use.

The house in Oxford Street had also been used as a crack den.

In North Street a woman was arrested for a breach of bail and police found amphetamines.

Sgt Hargreave said: "The good thing from our point of view is that it has all been positive.

"We have identified people that we believe are involved in the use and supply of class A drugs in Swindon and we have found heroin and crack cocaine.

"We are looking towards Neighbourhood Policing Teams in the town and drug dealing is something we want to stamp out and let people know we won't tolerate it.

"We are not going to allow this sort of behaviour in what are residential areas."

Sgt Hargreave urged the public to help continue the fight against drugs.

"The intelligence was a mixture of information from the community and our own sources stating that drug dealing had been going on at these premises," he said.

"I would encourage everyone, if there is increased activity and callers coming to the address at all hours to phone it in.

"It might be nothing but it will help us to build a picture."

As for yesterday's results he said: "I am happy with it.

"It's the disruption that is important.

"We have hit five addresses and it's confirmed our intelligence is spot on and they are using these addresses."