Police have raided addresses in and around London and arrested 22 people in an operation aimed at "dismantling" a £100m drug trafficking operation.
About 500 police officers were involved in raids on 30 homes and business premises believed to be linked to the cocaine and cannabis ring.
In one raid, a digger was used to smash through a perimeter fence.
Detective Superintendent Steve Richardson said the raids stemmed from a six-month intelligence-led inquiry.
Rugby: France beat Ireland ...
Heath Ledger is found dead in US ...
White House battle goes US-wide ...
Democrats spar in TV debate ...
The officers involved in the raids - part of Operation Eaglewood - were not armed but are believed to have used dogs, a helicopter and high technology surveillance devices.
They said they believed a business had been used as a front for a massive criminal enterprise which involved laundering money from the proceeds of trafficking in cocaine and cannabis.
Police said those involved were from a variety of backgrounds. Some were "born and bred Londoners" while others were Irish, Israeli, Egyptian and Iraqi nationals.
Speaking before the raids, Det Supt Richardson said: "For six months we have been targeting a network trafficking drugs and laundering money and we have made 20 arrests so far.
"We have been systematically disrupting the activities of this gang and the purpose of these raids are to dismantle it altogether and to serve restraint orders freezing their assets both in the UK and abroad."
'Dynamic' entries
The raids were conducted with the help of the Territorial Support Group, which is trained in making "dynamic" entries as quickly as possible to prevent the destruction of potential evidence.
In one raid, police planned to use a JCB digger to break through the perimeter wall of a heavily fortified house.
Det Supt Richardson said 70 kilos of cocaine had been recovered in the last six months as part of Operation Eaglewood.
Detective Inspector Martin Ford said the gang used a small number of bureaux de change to launder their "dirty money".
He said: "They have been laundering between £3m and £4m a week. They will take a suitcase full of £10 and £20 notes and exchange it for 500 euro notes.
"The beauty of the 500 euro note is that it's the highest denomination that is universally accepted. So they can convert a suitcase-worth of sterling into a quantity of euros which will fit in a small box."
Police said they believed at least one of the bureau de change was involved in the criminal enterprise.
(BBC)
<< Back