Five arrested in major St Albans and London Colney drugs bust
Five men have been arrested as part of a Hertfordshire Constabulary drugs raid (File photo) - Credit: PA
Five Hertfordshire men aged between 22 and 51 have been arrested in a bid to disrupt an organised drug gang.
Hertfordshire Constabulary searched addresses in Marshall Avenue, St Albans and Peters Avenue, London Colney as part of a drugs investigation.
At St Albans, officers seized around a kilogram of class A drugs and 2,000 pills which were stashed inside a parked vehicle.
They also found a shotgun, two handguns and ammunition.
Hamza Shah, 22, and Zayn Shah, 28, both of Marshall Avenue, were charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
Zayn Shah was additionally charged with three counts of possession of a firearm without a certificate.
At London Colney, officers found class A drugs and machinery used in drug production.
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They arrested a 51-year-old man on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A drugs, and he has since been released under investigation.
Hertfordshire Constabulary officers also arrested a 25-year-old man from St Albans on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs and possession of a firearm without certificate.
A 26-year-old man from Brookmans Park was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A and Proceeds of Crime Act offences, related to cash which may have been earnt through criminal activity.
The men aged 25 and 26 have been released under investigation.
More than £55,000 in cash was seized during the operation.
Detective Inspector Sarah Corr, from Hertfordshire Constabulary's Serious and Organised Crime Group, said that drugs crime poses a real threat to the community.
DI Corr said: "This operation was carried out in response to some intelligence we obtained.
"We constantly monitor drug dealing networks and OCGs operating in the county and carry out regular operations to crack down on their activities.
"Organised crime groups use violence, supply drugs and commit a whole range of crimes that pose a real threat to the community.
"Operation Relentless is Hertfordshire Constabulary’s response to this ongoing threat.
"As part of this work, we depend on information from members of the public to help us crack down on drug-related crime.
"Any information you can provide, no matter how small it may seem, could help us to identify and apprehend drug dealers."
She said that information can be reported online (https://www.herts.police.uk/) or by phone on 101.
Alternatively, speak to Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/
