Two held as police swoop on West Bromwich flats in drugs blitz

Doors were smashed open with a mini battering ram by police at two tower blocks in Beacon View Road.

More than 25 officers carried out the raids which were were part of an operation aimed at tackling drug dealing in the area, that has been a cause of concern for people living nearby.

Police found a set of scales and a large bag of cannabis as they searched a flat in Brierley House. A further two large bags and a glass jar containing cannabis, which had been thrown from the tower block, were found outside and were believed to have come from the same flat on the 15th floor.

The two men, both aged 20, were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply the Class B drug.

Another property on the 12th floor of the second block, Camberley House, also believed to be used in the distribution of drugs, was unoccupied. Inside officers found drug paraphernalia and evidence of white powder on items typically used to cut Class A drugs, such as cocaine and heroin. Drugs were also found, with the help of sniffer dogs in another flat on the same floor.

The raids took place at 5.30pm last night and the search for additional substances carried on for several hours before the privately owned flats were sealed up.

Inspector Akeel Najib, who led last night's operation said: "The operation was really successful. It wasn't about the amount of drugs, it was about disrupting the local drugs trade and shows people that we are out there tackling the problem and will hopefully encourage others to come forward.

"We know having spoken to people in the blocks that drug use causes problems with anti-social behaviour as people wait to get their drugs and in the areas affected we see an increase in vehicle crime and other thefts as people steal to maintain their habit."

Intelligence for the raid came from people living in the set of flats who tipped of local PCSO's and the Hateley Heath Neighbourhood team that the flats were being used for the sale and use of Class A and Class B drugs.

Sgt Kym Jones, who leads the local neighbourhood team, said they had been working hard to put the intelligence together and that this raid was only one of many operations that had already taken place in the tower blocks to stop the selling of drugs.

Police now hope to get Crack House Closure Order put on the flats to prevent them being rented out and used for the sale or use of drugs.