Police raid homes in dawn drugs swoop

Armed police raided drug dealers' homes across London today in one of the biggest operations ever mounted.

Around 350 officers took part in a co-ordinated search of a dozen addresses. The raids were designed to smash drug-dealing networks supplying crack and heroin. At total of nine people were arrested.

Operation Laski saw heavilyarmed officers in body armour raid houses and flats in six London boroughs including Lambeth, Greenwich, Southwark, Hammersmith, Croydon and Chingford.

Police used battering rams to break down the doors of a firstfloor flat in the White City Estate in Shepherd's Bush. Officers were followed by specialist search teams looking for drugs.

Two men were arrested at the Shepherd's Bush flat, one on suspicion of supplying Class A drugs and the second for indecent assault. The men aged 21 and 22 were known to have a history of violence and more than 30 officers took part in the raid.

Other street dealers' homes were targeted in a rolling series of raids which began at 5am.

The joint operation involved men from the Met and Kent.