POLICE SMASH HUGE HEROIN RACKET

POLICE said yesterday they had smashed a gang believed to be involved in
importing a huge amount of heroin in to Britain.

The gang is believed to have helped dump up to 100kg of the deadly drug,
worth 20 million, onto streets across the country each week.

The heroin, from Turkey, passed through what officers described as a
"clearing house" in north London before being distributed to smaller
dealers. The gang, including a number of Turkish nationals, is believed to
have used the large local Turkish community as cover for its activities.

Last night, officers recovered more than 10kg of heroin worth 2 million in
the latest swoop in north London - the second of two such seizures in the
past week. But far more significant than the amount of drugs recovered were
the arrests in the two operations.

Detective Chief Inspector Jon Shatford, heading the operation, said the
raids would severely disrupt the flow into the UK of heroin, the most
widely used hard drug.

Mr Shatford said: It is difficult to imagine a more significant seizure. We
are all very pleased.

The swoops follow a year-long undercover operation by the Metropolitan
Police's north-east area drugs squad probing Turkish traffickers.

Detectives say they are not finished yet and expect more arrests in the
near future. "We are still hunting more people from this gang. They are now
like rats trying to jump off a sinking ship, trying to escape us," said Mr
Shatford.

Last Thursday, the operation's commanders ordered raids on homes in north
and east London which resulted in the arrests of 14 men.

In that first swoop, about 2.5 million worth of heroin and cocaine - some
15kg of drugs - were recovered along with cash and firearms. Yesterday,
eight Turkish nationals appeared at Enfield magistrates' court charged with
conspiracy to supply 15kg of heroin and cocaine.

Meanwhile, a 40-year-old Turkish man who was also arrested during
Saturday's raid was being questioned at a north London police station.

Mr Shatford added: "This is a major coup for us. We are confident that we
have smashed a national network of traffickers with tentacles abroad in
Turkey.

"Our operation has concentrated on a major Turkish criminal network which
we believe has been operating in north London as a clearing centre for the
supply of drugs around the country."

Police said later that 100,000 in cash was also found during the swoop.

The gang formed a crucial link in the chain which transported the heroin
from Turkey to the streets of Britain. However, its break-up is expected to
temporarily disrupt rather than permanently halt the flow of the drug into
Britain while the chain reforms itself.