Five men arrested as police target Bedford gang - one had thousands of pounds worth of Class A drugs

Five people suspected of being involved in a criminal gang in Bedford have been arrested.

The latest arrest came after officers stop and searched a man in his 20s in Queens Park yesterday (Monday) and recovered thousands of pounds worth of Class A drugs.

He’s subsequently been charged with four counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

This is the fifth person to be charged by Bedfordshire Police’s Boson guns and gangs team this year with suspected links to the same drugs line.

Officers have recovered drugs worth almost £10,000 as part of the same operation.

Detective Inspector Tom Stean said: “The team is working tirelessly to target organised crime.

“We see it time and time again that drug dealing will be a driver of serious violence between different gangs and the exploitation of vulnerable people.

“Tackling organised crime is everyone’s business. If you tell us what you know and where drug dealing is happening, we’ll be able to take action like we have here.”

Bedfordshire Police has seized drugs worth at least £4.3 million over the past year, having recovered five times as much cocaine and heroin as it did over the previous 12 months.

Anyone with any information about drug dealing can report it here or call police on 101.

All this information is fed into police intelligence systems and helps officers build up a picture of serious and organised crime.

Visit here for more information about Operation Costello