£50,000 worth of drugs seized by police during Newcastle Freshers’ Week
38 arrests were also made as part of the clampdown
Joe AndersonAn operation targeting drug dealers in Newcastle, saw £50,000 worth of illegal drugs, £20,000 in cash and three stolen cars seized by Northumbria Police.
Freshers’ Week saw 38 arrests made in relation to drug offences targeted at students in Newcastle.
A number of mobile phones were also recovered, along with five knives, a BB gun, extendable baton and a knuckle duster.
Class A and B drugs that were found included ketamine, cocaine, cannabis edibles and ecstasy tablets.
Project Adder, a partnership between Northumbria Police and Newcastle City Council, has been running for over a year with great success.
It saw officers carrying out a number of stop and searches, vehicle stops and executing warrants to tackle illegal drug supply.
Superintendent Jamie Pitt said: “The results of this week-long operation speak for themselves and are a testament to the hard work and passion of all those working in the Project Adder team.
“Following a detailed intelligence gathering phase, officers took strong, swift action using a number of tools at their disposal to successfully take large quantities of illegal, harmful and addictive substances out of the supply chain, and put a considerable dent in the pockets of the suppliers.
“As part of Project Adder, we are committed to reducing the harm illegal drugs cause in our communities, and that includes within our student population.”
The news follows the region’s universities pledge to keep freshers safe, two years since the deaths of two undergraduate students.
Cllr Karen Kilgour, Deputy Leader of Newcastle City Council, said: “Through Project ADDER, partners in Newcastle are working to help people overcome issues with substances, and a significant part of that is targeting the criminals who seek to exploit our communities and ruin lives through their actions.
“This shows our commitment in the city to tackling drug supply through the partnership, which also offers dedicated support to help individuals affected by drugs, as well their loved ones, to get the support they need. This includes support for young adults within a specialist team, and includes a student pathway.”
Newcastle University’s Student Health and Wellbeing Service provides free, confidential support to any student concerned about their own drug use or the drug use of other students.
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