TAKEN AWAY: Suspects in Columbia Road are arrested by police

MORE than 40 police officers raided three properties after covert investigations suggested the occupants were involved in dealing cocaine.

Five people were arrested during the early morning swoop on January 30, which was part of Operation Dismantle.

Search officers discovered cannabis, firearms and a quantity of cash in the properties.

The first address targeted by police was a ground floor flat in Cockerell Close, Merley.

The two occupants, a 25-year-old man and his 22-year-old girlfriend, were in bed when officers entered.

Both were arrested on suspicion of intent to supply cannabis after a quantity of the drug was found along with more than £1,000 in cash.

The officers swiftly moved on to a house Columbia Road in Bournemouth where officers had to contend with three pitbull-type guard dogs. They led out three men - one aged 25 and two aged 26 - all arrested on suspicion of possession of cannabis. Police found some weapons in the property including a CS gas canister and a gas powered air-rifle.

Detective Inspector Craig Travers said: "None of our officers were injured. By the front door we found a baseball bat and a metal bar. We are also investigating if the dogs come under the Dangerous Dogs Act. We also found documentation which could relate to the proceeds of crime. There was also documentation linking this house to two other addresses, one in Bournemouth and one in Poole where we will be executing warrants shortly."

The third raid was in Leybourne Avenue, Bournemouth, and connected to one of the occupants at the flat in Merley. Police forced entry to a locked room the occupants refused to open.

The couple in the property were not arrested.

Det Insp Travers said: "This operation was intelligence led and we believed there was some connection with the supply of Class A drugs.

"We are using a mixture of community intelligence and police intelligence and would urge any members of the public with any information about drug dealing to let us know.

"The execution of these warrants has led us to some other properties.

"Our officers will be searching the properties for several hours and so at the moment we do not know what will be found."

6:00am Thursday 31st January 2008

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