Six arrests made in Newcastle clampdown on city drug problem

A pioneering project to tackle illegal drug supply has stepped up its activity – with six men arrested and quantities of cocaine seized in two days.

Over the weekend, officers working to clampdown on serious and organised crime made a number of arrests, with two men charged and remanded in custody after a series of vehicle stops.

The activity was carried out as part of the innovative Project Adder – a government funded scheme which links up police and local authority partners to tackle drug related harm in the community.

Coordinated efforts saw three men arrested on Friday night (November 25) after their suspicious looking vehicle was pulled over and searched on Hexham Road in Gateshead.

After searching the car, officers recovered 36 wraps of cocaine, quantities of cash and mobile phones and took the driver and passenger into custody.

Two men, aged 21 and 22, were later charged with possession with intent to supply class A drugs and appeared at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court on Monday – where they were both remanded in custody until their next appearance. A third man also aged 21 was released under investigation.

And, the clampdown didn’t stop there.

The following day another car was stopped on Prince Consort Road in Gateshead and three more men, aged between 17 and 33, were arrested in connection with drugs offences.

The trio were also taken into custody and questioned but later released on police bail.

Superintendent Jamie Pitt, of Northumbria Police, the lead for Project Adder said he hoped the activity showed the public just how seriously the Force was taking the issue of illegal drug supply.

“Illicit drug supply is not a victimless crime as we know that the money made from the sale of these substances is funnelled back into further serious and organised crime, which ruins our communities,” he said.

Supt Pitt added: “The groups who run these supply chains make money from selling highly addictive and harmful substances to vulnerable people, with little to no regard for the impact it has on their lives.

“This is why as part of Project Adder, Northumbria Police works in tandem with the local authority and a host of other partners to tackle the issue from a variety of angles.

“As police, our role is to carry out enforcement activity like this, making arrests, seizing and destroying harmful substances, and ensuring the product and its profits are taken out of circulation.

“We also share intelligence with our partners so they can intervene, and make sure those people who need support can access it when they need it most.

“The positive results from this activity is a testament to the hard work and dedication of all those involved – from the vehicle stops to the sharing of information – six arrested, two charged and a haul of seizures is no easy task.

“I’d like to thank the Project Adder team, Gateshead’s specialist Operation Vienna officers as well as the central Neighbourhood Support Team (NST) for their hard work. A brilliant result for our communities.”