POLICE carried out a string of raids last night in a bid to crack down on drugs coming into Brighton and Hove.

A man was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A drugs after officers found was was believed to be crystal meth, an “abundance” of crystal meth pipes, cash and other drugs paraphernalia in New England Street in Brighton.

As The Argus watched, a team of officers swooped on the shipping containers – now rented by businesses or used as homes – just before 5pm.

A 51-year-old was detained while two of the units were searched. He is still in custody.

A sniffer dog was brought in and officers searched cupboards, containers, bins, belongings and even the roof for evidence.

One of the units was the communal kitchen and toilet for all the properties.

The other houses administrative company The Nutty Geisha Ltd, where the man was detained. Inside, officers found a small amount of class A drug believed to be crystal meth, cash and the pipes, Detective Sergeant Dee Wells, leading the investigation, said.

Early estimates suggested there were hundreds of pipes in the room and hundreds of pounds of cash, reporters were told.

While the search continued the man, who covered his face with the hood of his jumper, was escorted from the property and into the back of a police van before being taken into custody.

Detective Sergeant Julian Deans said they were “keeping an open mind” as to whether other items found were being used in the making of crystal meth.

Meanwhile teams searched a house further along the street - where a 41-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of class A drugs and is still in custody - and another in Pankhurst Avenue, near Brighton Racecourse.

The searches continued into the night and another raid took place later on.

They were part of Sussex Police’s Operation Pride which seeks to stop gangs taking advantage of the celebrations to sell drugs.

DS Deans said: “We know people will manufacture specifically to supply all kinds of drugs for Pride. They come here specifically to sell.

“We are committed to stemming that flow of drugs.

“We want people to see this as a party and not to allow organised criminal gangs to operate.”

He said over the years police would find predominantly class A drugs making their way into the city for the event – heroin and crack cocaine but also party drugs and pills such as ecstasy.

He added: “Tickets for the events have helped cut down on drugs. Now we are seeing more things like poppers and nitrous oxide [more commonly known as laughing gas or hippy crack] which seems to be the main drug of choice which is of course illegal to supply.”

  • Police also raided properties on Monday and on July 27, seizing suspected drugs and making four arrests.
    On Monday a 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of cocaine and money laundering and a 23-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of money laundering after cocaine and cash were found after a search at a house in Middle Street, Brighton. Both were released under investigation. 
    On July 27, officers raided a house in Denmark Villas, Hove. Cash and drugs suspected to be the party drug GBL and crystal meth were found. Two men aged 27 and 33, both from Hove, were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A and class C drugs. They were also released under investigation.