POLICE claim the supply of hard drugs into Swindon from Birmingham and the West Midlands has been severed after an operation saw officers seize £10,000 in cash, drugs, and three expensive cars.

Specialist officers have been working behind the scenes for some time in identifying the route of Class A drugs into the town from supply networks in other areas, and made five arrests when they finally swooped on Tuesday.

Led by the Specialist Crime Department, the operation seized a haul of Class A drugs as well as the cash and cars which they believe to be the ill-gotten gains of drug dealing.

Five people from Swindon and Birmingham were arrested during the raid, and four have now been bailed as enquiries continue.

A 26-year-old man and 25-year-old man from Birmingham were among those picked up by police on suspicion of the supply of Class A drugs and have been bailed alongside a 29-year-old woman and a 44-year-old man from Swindon.

A 34-year-old man from Swindon was arrested and charged for possession of a Class A drug.

Detective Inspector Ben Mant, leading the operation, said it had been the result of extremely hard work on the part of his team.

“These arrests came about as a result of a tenacious investigation by a small team of officers who are tasked with tackling this crime type in Wiltshire,” he said.

“It is important that criminals understand that both the police and our partner agencies will pursue them and the proceeds of their crime.

“Quite often in Wiltshire we see certain drugs networks which come down from cities including London, Bristol and Birmingham, and on this occasion we have arrested a couple of people from Birmingham in relation to Tuesday night.

“A 34-year-old male from Swindon has now been charged with his involvement in Tuesday’s seizures. Four other people have been bailed pending further enquiries.”

“In this particular case, I am confident that we have disrupted the supply of Class A drugs from the West Midlands to Wiltshire,” added Det Insp Mant. “I would also like to thank members of the public who have the diligence to contact the police when they see things that they believe to be suspicious or illegal.’’

If you have information about serious crime, contact Wiltshire Police on 101 or through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”