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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Drugs seized
Yvonne Gordon Streatham Guardian
Thursday 23 Jan 2003 Police have seized almost four kilos of cannabis from a caf in Clapham. The raid on the Green Leaf Caf in Landor Road was carried out at 5pm on Friday. Two other premises in Brixton and central London were also raided at the same time. The raids were carried out following complaints from residents of open drug dealing in streets and cafes. The news of the raids has been welcomed by people in the area. Les Jenkins, 79, chairman of Fenwick Estate Residents' Association, off Landor Road, has been living in the area since 1963 and said drug dealing had been rife in the area for about two years. He said: "Drug dealing has been an absolute menace in Landor Road and on the Fenwick estate but there has been an improvement since police raided the estate with sniffer dogs two weeks ago. The open dealing on the streets should be stopped. "It is a shame that, due to lack of police resources, there cannot be more raids because it does make a difference." The operation was conducted by Lambeth police in co-operation with the Met's organised crime group. DCI Phil Kaye of Lambeth's Drugs Squad said: "This operation was the result of community consultation and concerns raised by local residents about the activity in these properties, which were impinging on the quality of life of people living and working in the Landor Road area. "It further emphasises Lambeth police will not tolerate drug dealing on the streets or within properties in the borough. I would appeal to anyone with information about drug dealing in Lambeth to contact police immediately." But there are some in Lambeth who would like the sale of cannabis regulated. Shane Collins, Green Party spokesman on drugs, who lives in Tulse Hill, said: "Cannabis dealing has happened, is happening and will happen. The Green Party wants to see cannabis being sold off the streets in coffee bars, in a legal and regulated way such as in Holland and increasingly in Switzerland, with profits being put back into the community. "The police should focus their resources on Class A drugs such as heroin and crack and leave the herb alone. With the new cannabis laws which are planned to come into effect in July, people will no longer be arrested for possession but only for selling cannabis. "This is a start but we have to deal with the heart of the problem. If you prohibit something for which there is a demand, you inevitably create a criminal market." Four men and two women, who were arrested during the operation, are in custody at a south London police station.
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