Half a kilo of cocaine seized in Midhurst and Haslemere as part of major international police operation

The search was part of a large international operation targeting serious and organised crime. The operation, which has been ‘previously unmatched in scale in the UK’, has involved officers from Sussex Police working in partnership with the regional organised crime unit as well as the National Crime Agency (NCA). To ensure success, details of this operation – named Operation Venetic – have, until now, been withheld. It can now be revealed that the operation involved search warrants in Haslemere and Midhurst, which were executed on May 4. During this, half a kilo of cocaine was seized and more than £260,000 cash was seized, according to police. A 38-year-old man from Guildford was arrested on suspicion of supplying class A drugs and money laundering offences. He has been released under investigation. Overall in Surrey and Sussex police have so far searched 14 addresses, seized six kilos of illicit drugs including heroin and cocaine, plus £323,000 cash, and have made five arrests all of whom have been released but are subject of further enquiries. The operation has been underway since April and has involved various units sharing data with the NCA and European partners relating to a specific encrypted criminal messaging system, Encrochat. Thousands of handsets have been monitored, millions of messages have been analysed and intelligence gathered across the country and overseas has revealed the illicit activity of people using this system around the world. This international response has allowed police intervention to mitigate a number of dangers such as threats to life, murder conspiracies and has led to a vast seizure of firearms and illicit drugs. Detective Chief Inspector Andy Bennett of the Surrey and Sussex Police Specialist Crime Command said: “This was a large scale international operation in which both Sussex and Surrey police were very keen to take an active part in. “Working with our partners at a regional and national level we have been able to increase our effectiveness in tackling serious and organised crime, resulting in a number of arrests, taking large quantities of controlled drugs out of circulation and seizing criminal assets. “We have many live investigations that will continue and anticipate further developments over the coming weeks. “This is another example of how law enforcement agencies from across the country are working together to protect our communities, catch criminals, and disrupt those intent on causing harm.” Across the region, including Sussex, Surrey, Thames Valley and Hampshire operations resulted in more than £3,129,900 being seized along with two firearms and over 90kg of drugs. In addition, 45 arrests were made for offences including possession with intent to supply and money laundering offences. Assistant Chief Constable Pete O’Doherty, South East Regional lead for Counter Terrorism and Organised Crime, said: “Operation Venetic, led by the National Crime Agency, has been a success due to the partnership working involved across all of policing, both in the UK and abroad. “The operations carried out across the South East region would not have been possible without our local police forces involvement and support. “This has not only been the biggest operation to take place in the South East but the results are deeply significant as well. “Not only with the goods seized but also the disruption this will cause to serious and organised crime groups operating in our communities. “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the SEROCU investigators and all the forces and officers from across the South East for their tireless work. “These criminals may have felt untouchable, using a system they thought was under the radar of law enforcement, but this technology is now being used against them. “A committed joint objective by law enforcement across the country will be to continue to keep one step ahead of these criminals. “There is still work to be done and SEROCU and our partners are dedicated to pursuing those who are involved in serious and organised crime and will continue to disrupt this criminality and bring those found to be involved to justice.” Together, police and public can tackle drug crime and reduce the harm to communities. A spokesman said: “If you suspect drug dealing is taking place in your local area, tell us. Don’t leave it to someone else. You can report online, or by calling 101, but in an emergency, always call 999.” A message from the Editor, Gary Shipton: In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news, I am asking you to please purchase a copy of our newspapers. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspapers. Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis. Stay safe, and best wishes.