Day of action sees arrests made and Class A drugs seized in Portsmouth
Police operation sees clamp down on drug activity in Portsmouth
Police teams across Portsmouth joined forces to target drug dealers on the city’s roads last week.
Numerous arrests were made throughout the day on Wednesday, April 15 with Class A drugs, cash and weapons seized as the police looked to make Portsmouth a “hostile place” for criminals.
Officers stopped a vehicle on Fawcett Road, Southsea which was suspected of being involved in drug dealing and a subsequent address search led to the seizure of Class A and C drugs, cash and multiple phones. Three men from Portsmouth, aged 21, 23 and 26, were arrested on suspicions of drug offences including possession with intent to supply Class A drugs. They have been bailed with conditions until July 15.
In another incident, officers stopped and searched a driver on Marsden Road, Paulsgrove, with 20 bags of suspected Class A drugs discovered alongside cash and a knife. A 26-year-old man from Portsmouth was arrested after the search of an address found a large quantity of cash, multiple phones, multiple ID cards of other persons and a large knife.
He was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A, possessing an offensive weapon in a private place and using a motor vehicle without insurance. He has also been bailed until July 15.
Portsmouth Chief Inspector Sam Warne said, “This was a proactive operation targeting people committing road traffic offences and putting others at risk of harm in the process.“This activity also assists us in tackling and disrupting drug supply in Portsmouth, as those involved in this criminality use our road networks to commit these offences.“
We are dedicated to making our City safer for all who live and visit here, and anyone involved in criminality in Portsmouth will be dealt with appropriately and robustly.
“We will be continuing to carry out similar operations going forward to ensure Portsmouth is a hostile place for anyone looking to threaten the safety of our communities.”
The operation involved officers from the Portsmouth Priority Crime Team, Neighbourhood teams from across the city, Investigations teams and the Joint Operations Road Policing Unit proactive team.
Other incident dealt with included a 37-year-old man from Fareham being stopped on London Road and arrested on suspicion of drug driving. The vehicle was seized and he has been released under investigation as police enquiries continue.
Also, one person was issued a Traffic Offence Report for speeding on the M27 and seven people were proactively stopped and searched.