Police raids in drugs crackdown ahead of Brighton Pride

Police at one of the properties searching for drugs

Police carried out a number of drug raids and made six arrests in Brighton and Hove ahead ofÂ this weekend'sÂ Pride event in the city

Four raids were carried out in New England Road, New England Street and Pankhurst Avenue on Thursday evening (August 3).

A small quantity of what was believed to be crystal meth, cash and drugs paraphernalia were found at a property in New England Road. A 51-year-old man was arrested there on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A drugs. Police said he is in custody.

Detective sergeant Dee Wells said: "What we have found inside is a small amount of class A drugs that we believe to be crystal meth, we also found some pipes, and drug making equipment. There is also cash that's been seized.

"One gentleman has been arrested on conspiracy to sell Class A drugs. This is connected with Operation Pride."

After another raid, a 41-year-old man was detained on suspicion of possession of class A drugs at an address in New England Street. He is also in custody.

On Monday (July 31) a warrant was carried out at a property in Middle Street Brighton. A man aged 24 was arrested on suspicion of possession of cocaine and money laundering and a woman aged 23 was detained on suspicion of money laundering after cocaine and cash were recovered. Both were released under investigation.

Last week on July 27 a search was carried out at an address in Denmark Villas, Hove, and drugs suspected to be GBL and crystal meth were found there along with a quantity of cash. Two men aged 27 and 33 both from Hove were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A and class C drugs. They were released under investigation.

A sniffer dog turned up at one of the raids

Detective sergeant Julian Deans said: "Over the last few years we have policed Pride with a zero-tolerance drug policy. We know that people will come to the city to supply drugs for Pride. Sussex Police is committed to stemming that flow of drugs.

"You get a lot of pills and MDMA. We do not get so much of that at the park itself since it is ticketed. You see a lot of nitrous oxide [also known as laughing gas}. That seems the main drug of choice at the moment. It is an offence to supply it."

Detective Inspector Julie Wakeford said: "Drugs including what we believe to be crystal meth were seized during these raids, which means they won't be on the streets during this weekend's celebration in the city. We work hard to take drugs off the street to keep Brighton and Hove safe."