DOZENS ARRESTED IN RAID ON DRUGS DEN

POLICE arrested 39 people last night after a massive armed raid on a
building in London used as a suspected drugs den (Michael Horsnell writes).

About 500 officers were called in to surround and seal off the four-storey
building in Charing Cross Road, Central London. Detectives removed large
quantities of substances for analysis. The raid followed complaints from
local businesses about people hanging around the disused shop. The
surrounding streets were sealed off, disrupting traffic.

Chief Superintendent Jim Overton, who is leading the inquiry, described the
building as a "fortified drugs warehouse" and said that it had effectively
been operating as an unlicensed club. Two other addresses in London were
also searched last night in connection with the investigation.