POLICE IN Bristol have just completed a major offensive aimed at crippling the operations of dealers of crack cocaine in the West Country area of the United Kingdom.
Thirty-six people have been arrested, 29 of whom have been charged with drugs and firearms offences. Twenty-seven of those arrested are Jamaican nationals.
The majority of the people arrested have been remanded in custody and 10 have already entered guilty pleas at court.
Chief Superintendent Mike Roe of the Avon and Somerset Constabulary outlined the reasons behind what is 'Operation Mansion' on the Force's official web site. He described the initiative as "one of the biggest single operations against dealers of crack cocaine to have taken place in the West Country."
"We've seen a significant increase in the number of people who have been able to come direct from Jamaica and deal drugs on the streets of our cities.
"In Jamaica and here, there's an awful lot of work going on to make things difficult for people to bring drugs here. It has become too easy for people to be able to deal drugs. Our operation is tackling that problem and its causes. They can run but they won't be able to hide," Roe said.
A SERIES OF RAIDS
For the past week and a half, hundreds of officers, supported by firearms specialists, have taken part in a series of raids that have targeted the city's crack dealers.
Seven firearms, including a sawn-off shotgun, and a quantity of crack cocaine and heroin, were seized during the raids.
More than 990 people have been arrested in Bristol in the last 18 months as part of Operation Atrium, Avon and Somerset, Police's main anti-drug dealing operation in the city.
One hundred rocks of crack cocaine were found at Tasties, and a further 100 rocks at the Black and White Café, Grosvenor Road, St. Paul's, Bristol. More arrests are planned.
Avon and Somerset's Operation Mansion was launched in February to target around 40 of the main crack dealers in Bristol, most of them Jamaican.
The aim was to disrupt the open market and work with other organisations such as the city council to literally clean up and improve the area, making it difficult for the drug dealers to ply their trade.
For eight months, a major covert evidence gathering operation has been taking place, targeting the dealers who control the trade, which culminated in this series of raids.
