Thousands of pounds worth of drugs found during patrol in Luton

On Tuesday (December 7) officers were carrying out high visibility patrols in Luton when they noticed a car being driven quickly with its windows down, a spokesman for the force said.

Officers remained in the area and a small amount of Class A drugs were recovered.

Because of this, officers decided to continue patrolling, and the driver of the car returned, the spokesman added.

A search of the vehicle and a property were carried out and a quantity of drugs estimated at £45,000 and £6,000 in cash were seized.

A 26-year-old man from Luton has been charged with possession with intent to supply and was remanded in custody.

Detective Constable Bianca Lazar, investigating, said: “These are excellent results and we are glad to have got more drugs off the streets of Bedfordshire.

“The officers involved have worked hard, from noticing suspicious behaviour, being proactive and using clever tactics, and this has resulted in a quantity of drugs being recovered.”

Detective Inspector Mark Pugh, the force operational lead for drugs, county lines and serious violence, added: “We will continue to run these patrols and continue to seize drugs and criminal cash, in a bid to combat gangs and organised crime across the county.

“We will also target those who we suspect of being involved in gangs and drug dealing and disrupt their activities.

“Drugs are a catalyst for many crime types, and are often driving much of the serious violence, exploitation and anti-social behaviour which blights our communities.

“We will continue to make Bedfordshire a hostile place for drug criminality.”

Anyone with any information about gangs or drug dealing is asked to contact police on 101 or online.

All of these reports are fed into police intelligence systems and can help the force build up a picture of organised crime.

People can also report information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.