The pub, the mini mart and the brothel: West London Albanian ‘gang’ dismantled as 10 arrests made and drugs seized
Around £200,000 of luxury goods were seized, a suspected brothel was shut down and multiple weapons were discovered in the early morning raid
Fourteen addresses across West London have been raided by police as they dismantled a suspected Albanian drug cartel.
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A two-year investigation led officers to believe they were responsible for importing and selling Class A substances, supplying counterfeit goods and running a brothel in Hounslow.
Several weapons were recovered including zombie knives, a long scythe and an axe found inside a cramped flat where four women were staying.
The shutter of a mini mart was dramatically forced open with an angle grinder, sending sparks flying, before dawn.
And large heavy plastic bags full of what police believe to have been ketamine and cannabis were found.
Detective Chief Inspector Garth Hall told LBC: “This is an Albanian gang that has been operating within the country for a considerable amount of time, and our target for the last 18 months has been very much trying to ascertain the complexity of it.
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“It has definitely been an eye-opener in terms of how many people are involved. There were a lot of other individuals that we have come across even this morning and had to understand what their roles are.
“The intelligence picture has grown considerably this morning.”
The home of the suspected ringleader of the group was nicknamed the ‘million-pound house’ by officers as they headed there just before 5am on Thursday morning.
They used a battering ram to force entry through the door, found to be reinforced with steel rods, and were kitted with an electrified shield to protect them from any potentially dangerous dogs inside.
Two carved pumpkins sat outside on the paved driveway.
The main suspect wasn’t home but another woman - understood to be his wife - was arrested inside.
A phone call from another team confirmed the man they were looking for was found at one of the other addresses being raided simultaneously across West London.
He was with a different woman.
Police and trading standards were pictured searching through the inside of a mini mart, including above panels in the ceiling, as they looked for drugs and counterfeit cigarettes.
Cars and a Rolex watch were among £200,000 of luxury goods seized as officers searched several homes and inside a pub, which some suggested are increasingly being bought by criminals as they close.
Down a narrow, dark and dirty alleyway in Hounslow, LBC was shown inside the suspected brothel police and immigration enforcement officers had entered.
Up a set of tall and creaky stairs, DCI Garth Hall said they found four women and two men in the small bedrooms.
“A lot of people just see drugs, but that is effectively the tip of the iceberg,” DCI Garth said.
“Not only have we identified the main individuals, but we've also found those secondary offences, if you like.
“The sex trade, the cuckooing of addresses where they will strong-arm vulnerable individuals within the community, use their addresses to store drugs and cash, and exploit them.
“It's not just our responsibility to take those drugs off the street, but also to safeguard those individuals we’ve found, and where there have been criminal offences, also arrest them.”
The investigation into the suspected gang began with intelligence from local officers, gathered during stop and searches.
Over two years, specialist teams have worked with them to build a case to arrest each of the suspects and dismantle the group.
The final raid of the morning happened at another address in Hounslow, at about 8.30am, where a large clear bag of cannabis was found inside a laundry bag sitting on the driveway.
Detectives suggested it may have been dropped off there by someone else overnight.
In total, 10 arrests were made during the early morning operation. Approximately £30,000 cash and multiple cars were seized alongside multiple knives and large amounts drugs which are still being examined and weighed.