olice have launched a series of dawn raids in an attempt to crackdown on drug gangs operating in east London.
A dozen people have been charged with more than 20 offences following the operation by Central East area’s Gangs Taskforce on Wednesday.
The raids, part of Operation Continuum, led to the arrests of 15 people at 13 homes.
Twelve men, aged 20 to 35, have been charged with 21 offences and will appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
Operation Continuum is an intelligence-led, phased operation, established in response to ongoing reports of drug dealing, drug use and associated criminality in Tower Hamlets and Hackney, police said.
The operation is funded by Project ADDER (Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery), a joint Home Office, Department for Health and Social Care and Public Health England programme which is testing an intense whole-system approach to tackling drug misuse and drug-related crime.
DCI Sean Lyons, from the Central East area, said: “Organised crime groups are strongly linked to violence and a significant driver to drugs related violence that we see cause devastation in our communities.
“We are working with our partners to support displaced drug users and provide the assistance and treatment they need. Working closely with local authorities means we are tackling violence from all angles and making our communities safer.
“We will continue work with communities and partners, balancing the need for diversion and support with enforcement.”
