TWO men were arrested and drugs seized in anti-gang raids this morning.

In Leyton, officers stormed a property in Matlock Road where they discovered 250 cannabis plants and arrested a 39-year-old Vietnamese man.

In Walthamstow, police found drug-related equipment and £1,000 in cash at a house in Mansel Grove.

A 25-year-old suspected gang member was taken into custody at the scene on suspicion of drug dealing and money laundering.

The raids were part of the Met's Operation Connect, which aims to disrupt gang networks by targeting suspected key members.

Detective constable Tim Champion, operational leader for Connect, said: "The raids this morning demonstrate our continued determination alongside our colleagues on borough to relentlessly pursue the small minority affiliated to gangs that intimidate and cause misery and fear to the wider community.

"We at Operation Connect are confident we are making inroads on identifying, targeting and tracking the most dangerous offenders linked to gang violence – and where appropriate, helping them access the support to leave that lifestyle behind for good.

"To date the operational results have been encouraging and we look forward to supporting more boroughs in the future."

A spokeswoman added: "Intelligence collated from the Met as well as key partners such as local councils, health authorities and schools is being shared.

"Officers are being encouraged to use a wide range of enforcement methods - from gang injunctions to pursuing individuals driving without insurance - to disrupt the activities in gang-related networks, as well as help identify opportunities to intervene with those who want to leave gangs and those on the peripheries at risk of getting involved in them."

Superintendent Adrian Hutchinson, who leads Waltham Forest Police's anti-gang work, added: "There is a long term strategy to combat gang-related criminality in Waltham Forest.

"The local authority have invested millions of pounds to divert gang members from offending. Locally, my teams are working with Operation Connect to target those who ignore the opportunities that are being provided.

"We will relentlessly pursue offenders and we have the support of the community to do this.

"Today's raids sends out a clear message that drug dealing, which can fuel may other gang related activities will not be tolerated.

"We continue to identify and target offenders linked to gang violence. The vast majority of young people are law-abiding and we will relentlessly pursue the small minority affiliated to gangs that intimidate and cause misery and fear to the wider community."

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