Drugs Crackdown In Central London Ahead Of Olympics

Drugs Crackdown In Central London Ahead Of Olympics

Twenty people have been charged with drug offences in a pre-Olympic crackdown on one of Britain's most popular night-spots.

The suspects were held in Soho as part of a "New York-style" operation in London's West End.

Eighteen of their number were brought before Westminster Magistrates' Court yesterday where one - Gary Reid, 46, of Kings Cross Road, Camden, pleaded guilty to offering to supply Class A drugs.

He will be sentenced at a later date.

Thirteen men and three women were remanded in custody to appear at Southwark Crown Court on June 12 while one woman was granted bail.

Two further suspects have yet to appear in the dock. They will be brought before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday.

The operation, codenamed Trafalgar, has become Scotland Yard's biggest ever war on street crime in the area.

An additional 400 police officers are being drafted in on its busiest nights to target dangerous pedicab riders, petty thieves and violent drinkers in the tourist hubs of Soho, Leicester Square, Piccadilly and Covent Garden.

Assistant Commissioner Simon Byrne said the theatre district had become the focus of the 24-week operation because it was "the shopfront of London".

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