Op Torus nets over £7,000 worth of drugs in H District

On Friday, Police in Coleraine invited members of the press to view a sample of drugs, many of which have been seized in the Coleraine area.

The haul included cannabis, herbal cannabis, cocaine, a bulking agent used by cocaine dealers and ecstasy.

The operation combines a media campaign encouraging people to report drug dealing with police taking action against on street drug dealing.

H District Commander, Chief Superintendent Chris Nobel spoke about the success of Operation Torus, which will run until the end of October.

“Since the 20 August, 2,388 searches have been carried out across the Province as a result of Operation Torus.

“£1 million worth of drugs have been seized and 407 people have been arrested.”

Breaking these figures down to a more local level, the Commander added: “In H District, which includes, Coleraine, Ballymoney, Moyle Ballymena and Larne, 193 searches have been carried out and there have been 99 drug finds.

“In the region of a quarter of a million pounds worth of drugs have been seized in H District.

“Operation Torus specifically targeted street level dealing.

“This involved both our neighbourhood teams and our anti crime teams.

“This operation will continue, but we need the help of the public.

“I would appeal to any member of the public, who has information, not matter how small they feel it is to get in touch. It could be the final piece in the jigsaw that we need.”

Coleraine Police Commander, Chief Inspector Nicky Thompson spoke about a “significant” organised crime operation in Coleraine.

The swoop, seized over £200,000 worth of drugs in the Coleraine and Ballymena areas back at the start of October.

Two arrests were made and the both males remain on remand, following a court appearance.

“This was a significant find “ said Chief Insp Thompson.

“There was £226,000 worth of drugs seized, and we believe that at least £195,000 worth of these would have made their way into the Coleraine market.

He re-emphasised the need for the public to come forward with information: “ There is no good in people saying the dogs on the street know - we can’t talk to the dogs on the street, we need people to come forward with information, this will feed our enforcement wing and allow us to bring these people before the courts.”

* If you have information which you believe will help police, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.