Police targeting the use of encrypted devices used to traffic illegal drugs broke into a property in Swanley this morning (Thursday, February 18), new footage of the raid shows.
Officers glad in heavy riot gear could be seen storming into the Swanley home after breaking through the driveway gates in a specialised police vehicle.
The footage was released by the Met Police who shared details of their move against a 32-year-old man arrested in the raid they said was suspected of helping plan the import of Class A drugs to the UK.
"At approximately 05:15hrs on Thursday, 18 February officers carried out a warrant at a residential property in Swanley, Kent, as part of an ongoing investigation into the large-scale organised supply of drugs into the UK.
"A 32-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to import Class A drugs. He remains in custody," a statement released by the Met Police Thursday read.
Detective Chief Inspector Driss Hayoukane, from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said the forceful raid formed part of a "wide range of tactics" used by the police in targeting narcotic supply in the UK.
"We have a wide range of tactics and methods that allows us to catch and arrest those involved in serious organised criminality.
"As part of Operation Eternal we are continuing to pursue criminals who are using encrypted mobile devices to drugs onto the streets of London and beyond.
"By removing the large-scale drugs supply into London we are removing the accelerant that fuels the violence and stabbings that leave people with serious injuries and some families grieving," he said.
Earlier this year, a group of 60 leading international experts published a report prohibition and the so-called 'War on Drugs' approach to recreational drugs, suggesting it did more harm than good.
The paper, which analysed over 150 independent studies, called for the personal use of all recreational drugs to be decriminalised immediately, followed by legalisation, regulation and restrictions on age, advertising and licensing.
The group – including bioethicists, drug experts, criminal justice researchers and psychologists – say prohibition and criminalisation has been “costly and ineffective” and these “failed policies” must end.
Instead they argued that legalisation could lead to increased revenue from taxes, improvements to public health, reduced crime and lower poverty rates.
Lead study authors Brian D Earp, from the University of Oxford, and Jonathan Lewis, from Dublin City University, said:
"Drug prohibition and criminalisation have been costly and ineffective since their inception. It’s time for these failed policies to end."
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