£20,000 of drugs seized by police in Telford raids

Sixteen men and four women were arrested at addresses in Telford and Wolverhampton yesterday, as hundreds of police descended on suspected drug dealers in a series of dawn raids.

Police used battering rams to force their way into the properties.

More than 200 police officers from across the Warwickshire and West Mercia alliance were involved in the operation - where they also seized quantities of cash and drugs with a street value of tens of thousands of pounds.

Seventeen of those arrested as part of the raids remain in custody today, with three from Telford due to appear before Birmingham Magistrates Court later charged with drugs offences.

Two men, Harjinder Singh Dhillon, 39, of Marlborough Road, Hadley, and Sandeep Lal Kumar, 27, of Teagues Crescent, Trench, were both set to appear charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

A third man, Karl James Humphries, 20, of Downmead, Hollinswood, was set to appear charged with supplying cannabis.

Chris Ammonds, a spokesman for West Mercia Police, said: "As a result of the operation, officers seized a large amount of cash and also class A drugs with a street value of at least £20,000.

"People remain in custody at stations in Telford, Kiddermnster, Shrewsbury and Bloxwich."

The raids were the second stage of Operation Sift, which is targeting the supply of illegal drugs in the area. Twenty one people were arrested following raids in Telford in September last year.

The main addresses being searched in Telford are in Wellington, Hadley and Leegomery, while additional addresses are also being searched in Wolverhampton.

Police used battering rams to force their way into the properties. At one home in Redlands Road in Telford, masked police used a chainsaw to cut a huge hole in the front door to gain access.

Yesterday, Detective Superintendent Jason Wells said that those in custody had been arrested on suspicion of a variety of drugs offences.