Two arrests, Class As worth £80k, cash and vehicles seized in Derry raids against suspected INLA drugs activity

Two men have been arrested and Class A drugs worth £80,000 seized in Derry in a police operation investigating suspected drugs activity linked to the INLA.
By Kevin Mullan
Published 28th Jan 2021, 17:08 BST
Updated 28th Jan 2021, 17:12 BST
An image of the drugs seized in Derry.An image of the drugs seized in Derry.
An image of the drugs seized in Derry.

Paramilitary Crime Task Force (PCTF) detectives seized suspected drugs with an estimated street value of £80,000 and a substantial sum of cash and made the arrests on Wednesday.

PCTF Detective Inspector Brennan said four searches were conducted at addresses and premises across the city yesterday, during which two vehicles, one of which is high-end, were also seized.

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Detective Inspector Brennan said: "Yesterday afternoon, we conducted a search of premises in the Pennyburn area where we seized what we believe to be a cocaine press.

"We subsequently arrested two men, aged 31 and 48 years old, on suspicion of offences including being concerned in the supply of a Class A controlled drug, possession of Class A controlled drug and acquiring, converting and possession of criminal property and other drug-related offences. Both men remain in custody assisting us with our enquiries. The two vehicles were seized as a result of this search.

"Last night, at around 9pm, we also seized a large amount of cash and suspected class A drugs with an estimated street value of £80,000 during a search of a house in the cityside area.”

Detective Inspector Brennan said the operation illustrated the task force's determination to tackle drug activity linked to paramilitaries.

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It reflects the PSNI commitment to safeguarding vulnerable members of the community by removing harmful drugs from our streets, the detective said.

"We will continue to robustly and proactively pursue those drug criminals using paramilitaritism as a badge of convenience, who are intent on damaging our communities by supplying illegal drugs for their own personal gain and, in some cases, to fund a lavish lifestyle .

"These drugs cause nothing but harm and distress, not only to the people who take them, but also to their families who deal with the heartbreaking fall out associated with drugs, including death, debt and intimidation.

"We will continue to listen to members of our community and act on any information they provide to us. I would, therefore, appeal to anyone who has information about drug dealing to contact police on the non-emergency number 101. A report can also be made online using our non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/

"You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/"