Five held after 'cannabis café' raid (From The Argus)

Five held after 'cannabis café' raid

11:56am Thursday 23rd October 2008

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The suspected owner of a cannabis café was in custody last night after a series of raids designed at smashing the organised supply of the drug.

Police said Mike Allday, 43, was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of selling the Class C drug in the heavily fortified cafe in Freshbrook Road, Lancing.

He was being questioned last night along with a 39-year-old woman from Brighton. Both were arrested in Worthing.

Police also executed a warrant at the cannabis café and arrested three people on suspicion of supplying cannabis.

Officers used an angle grinder to gain access to the building and took three men – a 32-year-old, a 39-year-old and a 19-year-old, all from Worthing – into custody.

Warrants were also executed at homes in Worthing and Lancing.

Inspector Jason Wilson, of Sussex Police, led the operation. He said: “The raids have been a great success and we have arrested five people suspected of being involved in the supply of drugs in the local area.

“This crackdown is ongoing and we will continue to focus our efforts on those who think they can get away with committing drug-related crime.

“Our message to those offenders is simple – we will find out who you are and we will arrest you.” Chief Inspector James Asser, district commander for Adur, told The Argus: “We will continue to do all we can to disrupt the trade of drugs.”

It is the seventh time the café has been raided by officers since it opened for business in 2007.

During yesterday’s raid they removed one of the thick steel doors to gain access.

Police have repeatedly targeted the cannabis café and have, on occasions, gone to extreme lengths to try and arrest those inside.

They have used heavy duty equipment, including a tractor to tear down a wall. But only tiny quantities of cannabis have ever been recovered and only a handful of arrests made.

Police said last night the exact amount of cannabis recovered during the latest raids was unknown.

Have you been affected by activities at the cannbis café? Tell us below.

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