Three men charged after police seize £200,000 of cocaine in Luton

Three men have been charged after police found cocaine with a street value of more than £200,000 during an operation by Bedfordshire Police in Luton.

The men, all in their 30s and from Luton, were arrested in connection to the seizure of around four kilos of the Class A drug.

It was part of a joint operation by Bedfordshire Police and the Metropolitan Police carried out on Tuesday, 10 August.

It is the latest enforcement action under Operation Costello, Bedfordshire Police’s biggest ever crackdown on organised crime.

T/Detective Superintendent Louisa Glynn said: “This is another significant seizure of illegal drugs made under Costello.

“Overall, ourselves and the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) have now taken around 100 kilos of Class A drugs off the streets of Luton as part of this crackdown.

“If you consider that half a gram of cocaine can typically sell for £15 on the streets, that’s a huge amount of cash we have deprived from the county’s criminal conspiracies.

“Violence, exploitation and organised crime is fuelled by the drugs trade. If you buy cocaine, you are directly funding things such as knife crime and the grooming of children to take part in county lines.”

Three people have subsequently been charged with a range of drugs supply offences following the operation and have been remanded into custody.

Anyone with any information about drug dealing can report it online, or by calling 101.

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

You can also report things via Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via crimestoppers-uk.org.

For more information about organised crime, the signs to spot and where to get help please visit the Bedfordshire Against Violence and Exploitation (BAVEX) website.