Police Swoop On EastEnd Cannabis Cafe

An EastEnd cannabis factory has been raided by police, who seized a drug-infused 'energy drink' and 'brownies'.

Following an intelligence-led investigation, officers from the Metropolitan Police executed a search warrant at the cafe in Limehouse known as “The Den”.

Responding to community intelligence, the Violent Crime Taskforce and Neighbourhood Policing Teams, in conjunction with NPAS and the Dog Support Unit, raided the premises under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

A significant amount of cannabis thought to be worth approximately £20,000 both loose and bagged up into single deals was seized in addition to cash, drug dealing paraphernalia and evidence of drug sales. 

Police and the local authority will now seek to obtain a closure order for the property.

A total of 52 people at the location were detained for searches. 

Several were given cannabis warnings and one man was arrested for possession of class A drugs.

The operation was part of Operation Continuum, a local ongoing operation tackling organised drug dealing and associated crime, and which identified individuals believed to be selling drugs in the café. 

Operation Continuum began 18 months ago and has already seen a number of large enforcement operations, over 350 arrests, and over £350,000 cash seized.

Detective Superintendent Mike Hamer, of the Central East Area, said: “The activity was in response to local community concerns. We want to ensure that the public feel they are being listened to, and as a result, appropriate action is taken by the police and our partners. 

“We will now be working with our partners to secure a closure order to ensure this property will not reopen.

“Our activity will not stop here. People involved in this type of criminality should know that we will continue to deal robustly with drug dealing.

“Whilst the causes of violent crime are highly complex and wide-ranging, drug dealing is inextricably linked with a high proportion of the violence we have seen on our streets. 

“We regularly see young people and the more vulnerable within our communities, targeted and exploited by those who seek to sell drugs, who often instigate violent acts and place young people at risk of harm and criminalisation in the process.

“Anyone who involves themselves in the illegal drugs market – be that selling, transporting or using, regardless of how frequently or infrequently and in what context, has a responsibility and is fuelling the violence and exploitation that invariably goes with it, in London and across the UK.

“There is no hiding place for those who peddle drugs. We will continue to target those involved in all aspects of the drug trade, many of whom are failing to recognise or care about the damage their activities are inflicting on society and our most vulnerable communities.”

John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: “Our partnership work with the police is successfully interrupting the drug trade in our borough, and the anti-social behaviour that arises from it.

“We are addressing concerns of our residents through these raids, and are investing in high quality drug treatment services and education in the borough.”