That Bristol City drug bust
THE Bristol city drug busts that late last month snared 39 suspects — 27 of them Jamaicans — with 200 rocks of crack, seven guns and ammunition read like a movie script featuring months of international police surveillance stretching across the Atlantic from England to Jamaica.
“Intelligence was ongoing for over eight months and the evidence was compiled over that time,” Paul Gainey, press officer for the Somerset Police in Bristol told the Sunday Observer in a telephone interview.
“Intelligence gathering included travelling to Jamaica,” added Gainey who disclosed that 22 of the suspects had been charged with 107 drugs and firearms offences.
The operation, said to be one of the biggest ever against crack dealers in England’s west country, was carried out over three days — July 22, 24 and 29.
According to the Bristol City police press office, seven persons were arrested on July 22 when cops raided the Criterion public house, Tasties restaurant and addresses in Ashley Road, Badmington Road and West Grove.
On July 24, the police said, a series of raids at the Black and White Cafe, and Grosvenor Road resulted in 12 persons being arrested for supplying drugs.
“One hundred rocks of crack cocaine were found at Tasties, and a further 100 rocks at the Black and White Cafe,” the Bristol police said.
The raid’s third day — July 29 — netted six persons at Argyle Road, Brigstock and Charlton roads, Kingswood, Britania Road and Two Mile Hill. They were all arrested for drug dealing and firearm offences.
The police did not state specifically where the seven firearms, including a sawn-off shotgun, and ammunition were found. However, they said they were unearthed from a “back garden”.
“The drugs and guns we recovered were a bonus because the evidence we had against them was enough to send them away,” Gainey told the newspaper.
He said that 13 of the persons held “have already agreed to enter a guilty plea when the evidence against them was shown to them”.
“The accused persons were all remanded in custody in the Bristol Magistrate’s Court,” said Gainey. “They are awaiting the Crown Court to set a date for trial/sentencing.”
For many years, drug traffickers have been taking advantage of Jamaica’s geographic position between North and South America, as well as its airline and shipping links with Britain and the USA, to smuggle narcotics to both countries.
Up to late last year, it was estimated that as much as 10 per cent of the cocaine processed in Colombia passed through the island to these countries.
Marijuana grown here is also smuggled to the USA, Britain and continental Europe.
Over a year ago, Jamaica and the UK stepped up their co-operation in the anti-drug campaign to include the stationing of Jamaican police in the UK to help spot and stop drug smugglers from the island.
Additionally, IonScan machines that are capable of detecting traces of drugs have been donated by the British Government to Jamaica and have helped to drastically cut the volume of smugglers, mainly women being used as “mules”, who swallow cocaine pellets.
Somerset police’s chief superintendent, Mike Roe referred to those measures in a press statement shortly after the July 29 arrests. “In Jamaica and here there’s an awful lot of work going on to make things difficult for people to bring drugs here,” he said.
“We have 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,” Roe added.
He said that Bristol city police operation was tackling that problem and its causes. “They can run, but they won’t be able to hide,” Roe said.
According to the Bristol police, more than 990 persons have been arrested in that city in the last 18 months as part their anti-drug drive.