DRUGS and weapons were seized in “high-impact” raids on properties in Amesbury and Tidworth on Saturday.

The raids were part of Operation Harness, a county-wide crackdown on drug dealers in which 15 addresses were searched, nine arrests made and £50,000 seized.

The Journal accompanied officers on two warrants on Saturday.

The morning quiet was shattered by the crack of a battering ram smashing-in the door of a house in James Road, Amesbury, at 8.30am.

Amid shouts of “Police, go, go ,go”, uniformed officers piled in through the front door of the semi-detached house.

But, inside, searches turned up only a small amount of cannabis, believed to be for personal use, along with drug-taking paraphernalia.

A street cannabis warning was issued to one of the occupants and the drugs were seized and destroyed.

The next raid was more successful, as the team stormed a house in Collins Court, Tidworth.

The front door was barricaded shut from the inside, so the police burst in through the unlocked back door at 10.30am, much to the surprise of the sleeping occupant.

A thorough search of the property revealed a stash of around six ounces of herbal cannabis - worth around £1,000 – alongside digital scales, a wad of cash and a number of weapons including two air rifles, three ornamental samurai swords and two pairs of nunchaku, a Japanese martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks and a short chain.

A 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a class-B drug with intent to supply.

Superintendent Charlie Armstrong of Wiltshire Police said: “Drug dealing, particularly from domestic premises, has a horrendous impact on the quality of people’s lives in communities, quite apart from the health and welfare impact it has on the people who chose to take drugs.

“The police only have to be lucky once when they do a warrant.
“If you are going to deal in drugs from domestic premises, we know who you are, we know you are doing it, and you have got to be lucky every single day to escape justice.”

Supt Armstrong said the success of operations really relied upon community support.

“Neighbours are some of the people worst affected by drug dealing from domestic premises and I don’t want anyone to suffer that activity in silence,” she said, calling on those affected to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Wiltshire Police worked with community safety partnerships and other local charities to gather intelligence.

The aim was to tackle drug-dealing, vehicle crime, stolen goods and anti-social behaviour.