Nine Queen's guards held in drug raids

Nine members of the Queen's ceremonial bodyguards have tested positive for drugs in an Army crackdown.

The elite members of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment were caught in a dawn raid by Army drug testers.

They tested positive for cocaine, cannabis and other drugs.

The mass test of 160 officers and men at the regiment's Hyde Park barracks is one of the biggest operations of its kind in the Army's history.

The testers took urine samples from the officers and men during the test. Two lance corporals were said to be among those who tested positive.

A member of the Adjutant General's Corps attached to the regiment also tested positive, it was reported today.

All those detained face being expelled from the Army, though some are said to be appealing against the findings.

More than 2,000 soldiers have been thrown out of the Army in the past five years for testing positive to drugs.

However, the increasing use of recreational drugs has prompted the Army to reconsider its tough stance in recent years. A recent review of the drug policy recommended recruits caught taking drugs off duty should be given a second chance. However, for those on duty there is a zero tolerance policy to drugs.

Commenting on the Household Cavalry case, a senior officer said: "They're not just ceremonial soldiers, they are trained as fighting men."

An Army spokesman said the nine who tested positive were only one per cent of the entire regiment's strength.

The matter is being dealt with internally and police have not been called in.

The regiment's motto is "honi soit qui mal y pense" - evil be to he who evil thinks. Seventeen horses and soldiers from the regiment recently enjoyed an annual break from ceremonial duties in Norfolk, galloping along Holkham Beach. The horses are part of a 120-strong troop whose normal duties include ceremonials such as the State Opening of Parliament and the Queen's Birthday parade.