Police seize assault rifle

An assault rifle commonly used by the American military was seized by police during a drugs raid.

The M16 rifle and two handguns were recovered in a raid in Hackney by officers from Scotland Yard's new Middle Market drugs squad. Detectives, who arrested four men, also recovered 29 kilos of heroin with a street value of £1.75 million.

The four, aged 61, 20, 55 and 21, three of whom are Turkish, were seized in the street in Portland Rise before police recovered the drugs and guns at a nearby property.

The seizure is the largest by the new customs and police drugs squad since its launch last month. The squad targets the middle-men or entrepreneurs responsible for distributing drugs around London.