Samurai sword found in raid at house in Maidstone as part of crack down on knife and drug crime
Published: 14:14, 21 March 2019
Updated: 15:12, 21 March 2019
A samurai sword was found by police in an early morning raid as part of a crackdown on drug and knife crime.
Two men were arrested at the house in Wallis Avenue, Maidstone, where heroin, drug-dealing paraphernalia and the sword was found at the property.
The warrant was carried out by officers in the early hours of yesterday morning at the home in Park Wood.
Watch police enter the house in Maidstone in an early morning raid
This was one of 33 warrants carried out in the last two days where 38 arrests were made across Medway, Maidstone, Thanet and Canterbury.
A crossbow was found in Dover.
As part of the clamp down, which started on 11 March, more than 250 weapons have been seized from properties across the county alongside more than 400 wraps of class A drugs. More than 95 arrests have also been made.
In total, more than £100,000 in cash, which is suspected to have been gained from the proceeds of crime, has also been seized.
Numerous weapons were seized as a result of the warrant activity, including 11 knives, along with quantities of heroin and crack cocaine.
Kent Police Chief Constable Alan Pughesley oversaw the raid.
He said: "It was one of a number of warrants we're doing across the county to show the drug dealers, to show people carrying knifes in the county, that there's zero tolerance from the police
"We will not accept in any way, shape or form people carrying knives on the streets and therefore its a dedicated response to dealing with violent crime."
The operation for the crack down on violent crime has been running for several weeks and more than 60 people have been arrested and a significant number of knives, money and drugs were seized.
He continued: " We’ve got some county lines problems, with people coming out of London thinking they can sell drugs in our local community and this is what this address is about today so we’ve executed a warrant and rapid entry has found two people who have now been arrested.
"In there is what I believe to be quite a substantial amount of heroin, other drug dealing paraphernalia that no doubt they’re supplying to our local community and then it’s linked to violent crime and right there on the sofa next to them was one of the biggest samurai swords I’ve ever seen.
"So a very successful operation but that’s why we're doing this, we have to keep Kent a safe place. It is a safe place but I’m not prepared for this violence to go unchallenged."
Kent's Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott also attended. He added: "I think they’ve acted tremendously bravely and professionally in taking some potentially very serious criminals off the streets of Kent.
"These operations are really important to send that strong message that Kent won’t tolerate gangs and won’t tolerate crimes enabled by knives."
The raid comes after it was revealed knife crime in Kent has increased at the fastest rate in the country.
Read more: All the latest news from Maidstone
More by this author
Kristina Curtis