KNOCK, KNOCK

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Friday, December 18, 2009
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This is Staffordshire

POLICE have raided 14 homes across Stoke-on-Trent in an operation to target suspected drug dealers.

A total of 12 people, eight men and four women, were arrested as officers executed search warrants as part of Staffordshire Police's Operation Nemesis.

The action began shortly after 7.30am yesterday, when teams of officers began to batter down the doors of properties they believed to be linked to the supply of drugs.

The operation continued throughout the morning, with 14 homes targeted by 1pm.

The search warrants, all granted under the Misuse of Drugs Act, were carried out with the aim of recovering evidence against people accused of dealing Class A drugs.

At one address, a flat in Waterloo Road, Cobridge, six people were arrested and police seized what they believe to be crack cocaine with an estimated street value of £8,000. Officers also removed £2,000 in cash from the address.

Other homes targeted were in Chaplin Road and Castleton Road in Normacot, May Place in Longton, Witchford Crescent in Blurton, Sundorne Place in Bentilee, Brocklehurst Way and Stanway Avenue in Sneyd Green, Tintern Street in Hanley, Federation Road in Burslem, and Spratslade Drive in Dresden.

The suspects arrested were taken to the Northern Area Custody Facility in Etruria. A 37-year-old man from Bentilee was charged with drugs offences and was due to appear before magistrates this morning.

Detectives were last night continuing to question the remaining suspects.

Superintendent Dave Mellor, pictured left, from Stoke-on-Trent Division, said: "Many of the searches carried out were the result of calls from members of the public to Crimestoppers to report suspicious behaviour at the addresses."

Residents in Cobridge welcomed yesterday's action.

Steve Pritchard, chairman of Portland and Cobridge Residents' Association said: "The fact that residents can see the police acting on their concerns is reassuring."

Cobridge resident Bernard Wragg said: "It's good to see the police doing something about it."

Nemesis lives up to its name: Page 4

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13 Comments

  • Profile image for This is Staffordshire

    by stephen, meir

    Saturday, February 27 2010, 12:25PM

    “Before christmas the police sent round a leaflet in meir basically what it said was hooray weve just got rid of a dealer from round the corner but what it should of said is its taken three years to close a drug den down but and its a humungous but they have moved a few doors down well the next street actually but you know what i mean but what really got me was the people that first reported them were hounded out of their own houses so i can understand now why people dont report them which is the lesser of to evils report and you get your window smashed /abused physically /mentally perhaps get burgled just for good measure or do you leave them to get on with it and have strangers lurking round all day and night perhaps they use the alley behind you as a place to have a fix leave needles for all to see PS you will get all of these if you report them or not as it takes years just to move them to the next street any way so there is no answer you can not win either way”

  • Profile image for This is Staffordshire

    by Andy, Sandbach

    Monday, December 21 2009, 5:03PM

    “Cllr Webb. I have just viewed you "Liberatian Party" website.
    It made amusing reading. OF interest, there are only 1660 online members!!!!! What huge support you have nationwide eh?!”

  • Profile image for This is Staffordshire

    by Geoff, Ex Cop

    Monday, December 21 2009, 4:32PM

    “Save it Webb, you as much use as an ashtray on a motor bike.
    Merry Christmas”

  • Profile image for This is Staffordshire

    by Gavin Webb, Councillor, Staffordshire

    Saturday, December 19 2009, 7:38PM

    “Will try for a third time. For an organisation who also thinks the drugs war isn't working, and who suggest a more sensible, sustainable route down which to travel, Google 'Transform Drugs Policy' Foundation and visit their website.”

  • Profile image for This is Staffordshire

    by Johntoe, Stokie up north

    Friday, December 18 2009, 11:23PM

    “ooh! assumptions now? what a surprise,
    HARK!! what was that? nothing just the muffled ramblings of a tightly closed mind,

    So whats the answer?
    I dunno,
    so....... we just keep on spending millions like we have been doing for years?.......
    yeah,
    but,....but, it doesnt WORK, yeah I know, BUT we DO get lots of GREAT publicity every time we bust some low level dealers, and that makes all those nice tax paying folk THINK that we have the upper hand in the "war" on drugs,......
    the war on drugs? didnt we lose that in 1979? shhhhhhhhhh THEY dont know that,”

  • Profile image for This is Staffordshire

    by Rustinho, Silverdale

    Friday, December 18 2009, 8:42PM

    “Once again we get the usual ramblings from someone so doped up on drugs they can't see the real world in front of them!

    Yes, alcohol causes problems but society is pretty much stuck with it because it is socially established. Why make matters worse by legalising a whole host of other drugs and hence unleashing goodness-knows-what on the rest of us?

    And even aside from the direct consequences of people freely abusing other drugs - who exactly would be likely to control the supply of these other drugs? Exactly the same people that control their supply right now. Hardly fine upstanding businessmen that are pillars of the community...!”

  • Profile image for This is Staffordshire

    by Warren, Meir

    Friday, December 18 2009, 6:48PM

    “The big, red door knocking in thing must be well used now. Well done boys. I for one live in hope that the British Justace System don't let the good work go again.”

  • Profile image for This is Staffordshire

    by Eyeswideshut, Pimlico

    Friday, December 18 2009, 3:08PM

    “Looks as though the people at number 10 have been visited by the local constab before by the looks of the door. (at will)
    The drugggies in the end move to another area a bit like problem families to continue their unsocial habits. Must not forget they are people that have been failed by ?
    They are a from all walks of life from a beggar to - think of a profession. They are someone¿s son ,daughter, sister, brother, cousin, father, uncle, mother, there again it's not like we have no insight of the downside of Heroin and yet some of us choose not only to experiment but to embrace this unglamorous/desperate lifestyle.

    The role of the police and has been for decades is of the pest controller who has been called out for the umpteenth time to rid the land of an infestation of moles. He plugs the holes before reassuringly telling the owner, that's the last you'll see of them. The owner sleeps well for a while. The pest controller returns to his or her base satisfied that his boss will mark it down as a success and possibly enter it into the local news letter as the biggest success ever.”

  • Profile image for This is Staffordshire

    by Johntoe, STOKIE in N/E England

    Friday, December 18 2009, 2:38PM

    “eyeswideshut...."dispensers of misery" eh? I know LOADS of places that dispense misery, and they have people coming and going at all hours, these people come out and they brawl, vomit, urinate, make lots of noise, many of them are addicted to the toxic and deadly drug that costs the NHS and the tax payer millions every year, not to mention the millions of police hours and again millions of pounds of tax payers money, but the police dont kick THEIR doors in because the misery THEY dispense is legal,
    MY eyes are wide open and a drug is a drug, legality or otherwise cant change that,
    Alcohol IS a class A DRUG.
    legalise them ALL, create jobs generate revenue free up police time and prison space, put the criminal gangs out of business,
    OR criminalise them ALL, and drop the double standards,
    hey look the Emperor is naked.”

  • Profile image for This is Staffordshire

    by Andi, Stoke

    Friday, December 18 2009, 1:00PM

    “Good police work backed up with a completely useless justice system !”

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