Dealers 'scared off by raids on crack houses'By Leyton and Leytonstone GuardianCRACK dealers are running scared of police after a series of raids on drug dens in the borough, it has been claimed. Police hit four suspected crack houses in Leyton and Leytonstone in the last two weeks and made a number of arrests. The Guardian joined officers on a raid on a flat in North Birkbeck Road, Leytonstone last Thursday. Police said the area had become a magnet for drug dealers, prostitutes and muggers and were investigating the murder of a man there the previous Saturday. Yet when a team of 40 officers stormed the premises at 6.30pm, no-one was at home. Inspector Ian Dickson had no doubts about why it was empty. "They're running scared," he said. "Word must have got round that we are raiding crack houses and it has forced the dealers to abandon the property. "The information we are getting is that people are being told: 'If you want to buy drugs, don't consider Waltham Forest because there's too much police activity'." The raid was one of four carried out in the last fortnight. On Wednesday, October 9, police raided a property in Calderon Road, Leyton, where they found 70 suspected wraps of heroin and crack cocaine as well as two firearms. A total of 12 arrests were made at the house and one person is still assisting police with their inquiries. The next day, a crack house in Nutfield Road, Leyton, was closed down and the only person on the premises was kicked out. Then, on Friday, October 11, a large team of police officers raided a property in Leslie Road, Leytonstone, where they arrested a man for possessing heroin. In last Thursday's raid in North Birkbeck Road, a Guardian reporter got a shocking insight into the world of crack dealing. Protecting the premises from the outside world was a thick metal gate which had been expertly put in place behind the front door by the resident dealers. Every room inside reeked of a sickly, sweet smell and was in a state of disrepair, with fallen wallpaper and dirty carpets. 12:00 Thursday 24th October 2002
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