Police used a mechanical digger to smash through a wall around a suspect's house on Wednesday during raids to break up one of Britain's biggest drug trafficking networks. The JCB was used on a house in Hillingdon, north London, during the operation, one of the biggest in the Metropolitan Police's history.About 520 officers arrested more than 20 people, seized 100kgs of cocaine and found several guns during the raids on about 30 addresses in and around the capital.
TV footage of the raids showed dozens of officers wearing riot gear and carrying shields running alongside the digger in the early morning fog before it punched through the wall. Officers using a circular saw to cut through a metal door grille were showered with sparks.
Detective Superintendent Steven Richardson, head of the Met's Specialist Intelligence Section, said it had "dealt a huge blow to the illegal drugs industry". "The suspects arrested are believed to be the top tier and key players involved in the moving and distribution of cocaine and cannabis throughout the UK," he said. "They are believed to have substantial connections in Europe, using these contacts to traffic drugs into the UK."
Scotland Yard said the gang was suspected of converting drug money into 500-euro notes to launder profits worth up to three million pounds each week. The gang was suspected of using a taxi office and bureaux de change shops to launder the money, Sky News reported.
Some of the suspected members had been living the lives of wealthy businessmen, Richardson added.
Before the operation, police had already seized more than £2.5 million in cash and several guns.
The raids took place from Marble Arch and Bayswater to Twickenham, West Molesey and St John's Wood. Houses were also searched in Kent and Essex.