Cocaine, crack and cash seized in Fareham and Gosport drugs crackdown

Officers stopped the vehicle on the A27 near Fareham and upon searching it, found 12g of suspected cocaine, and 6g of suspected crack cocaine. 

A total of £2,160 in cash was also found and seized. 

A 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply and has been bailed with conditions until June 4. 

The arrest comes as part of a county-wide crackdown on county lines drugs networks which saw 64 people arrested in total. 

In Fareham and Gosport, several arrests were made with phones, drugs and e-scooters seized. 

Some results from the crackdown were: 

• Search of a 21-year-old man in Forton Road, Gosport who was subsequently arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs. He was bailed with conditions until 6 June. During the search, police also seized a bag of cannabis and three mobile phones.
• A 29-year-old driver was stopped on Fareham Road, Gosport, and found in possession of cannabis. He was given a community resolution and agreed to take part in a drug awareness course.
• A 49-year-old man was arrested on the A32 in Fareham on suspicion of drug driving. He was released under investigation while enquiries continue.
• We seized a number of E-scooters which were being ridden illegally - these will be destroyed under Operation Crush.
•  Search of a 54-year-old man in the Mill Road area of Fareham. 4 wraps of heroin and 1 wrap of cocaine were seized. The man was arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs, and bailed with conditions until 4 June while further enquiries are conducted.
• Vehicle stop on the A27 near Fareham. 12g of suspected cocaine, and 6g of suspected crack cocaine were seized along with £2,160 cash and a mobile phone. A 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply. He has been bailed with conditions until 4 June while enquiries continue.
• Search of a 24-year-old man in Mumby Road, Gosport. A small bag of cocaine was seized, and the man was dealt with by means of community resolution for possession of Class A drugs.
• A search of a 39-year-old man in Nyria Way, Gosport resulted in the seizure of a number of pills and a mobile phone. The man was arrested on suspicion of possession of Class C drugs with intent to supply, and has been bailed until 8 June while enquiries continue.
• A search of a vehicle in Forton Road, Gosport, resulted in officers seizing a small amount of cannabis. A 21-year-old man was dealt with by means of community resolution for the offence of Class B drugs possession.
• A 22-year-old man stopped and searched in the Grange Lane area of Gosport and dealt with by means of community resolution for possession of cannabis.
• A 43-year-old man was dealt with by means of community resolution for possession of cannabis in Forton Road, Gosport.
• A 35-year-old man was dealt with by means of community resolution for possession of cannabis in Leesland Road, Gosport.
• Vehicle stopped in Hunts Pond Road, Fareham, and cannabis seized. A 24-year-old man was dealt with by means of community resolution for possession of cannabis.

Fareham & Gosport District Commander, Chief Inspector Chris Spellerberg, said: “Many communities are blighted by county lines and the boroughs of both Fareham and Gosport are not immune.

"Drugs supply is a scourge on our communities and the effect it has on people is wide reaching. 

"Some of the most vulnerable people in our communities, adults and children, are exploited by gangs and pulled into a lifestyle that involves serious violence and the use of weapons.

"Let’s be clear, drug dealing destroys lives and we are committed to tackling the supply of illegal drugs, and the exploitation and violence that is frequently associated with it.

“With drug-related activity comes additional patterns of offending and poor behaviour such as child criminal exploitation, modern slavery, missing people, shoplifting, burglary, robbery, and anti-social behaviour (ASB) – which is why a multi-agency response is needed.

“The Police and partnership activity this week demonstrates our ongoing commitment to protecting communities and safeguarding young people, putting them first as they are often the victims of drug-related harm and associated criminality.

“Weeks of action such as these enable us to intensify our efforts. However, teams across Fareham & Gosport are persistently targeting drugs supply day in and day out throughout the year, developing intelligence, stopping individuals and vehicles, and executing drugs warrants on addresses linked to supply.

“We often receive complaints about illegal use of E-scooters. What people may not realise is that, the intelligence tells us, these are a common mode of transport for drug dealers.

"By targeting illegal riders in known hotspots for drug dealing we are maximising our efforts to disrupt supply throughout Fareham and Gosport and I’m pleased to see a number of illegally used e-scooters seized which will be destroyed.

“This sort of police action is often what you see in the media or on social media, but there is a huge network of activity going on behind the scenes that you don’t see, to develop the full evidential picture around who is involved in drugs supply and how they are operating.

"The work also involves safeguarding vulnerable people, disrupting patterns of offending and referring drug users to support services that can help them break their habit.

“The public are our eyes and ears on the ground and we urge people to please keep reporting any information about drugs supply in your neighbourhood to police.”

To make a report to police, call 101, or use the online reporting tool at www.hampshire.police.uk

Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their anonymous online form at crimestoppers-uk.org