Mystery set of keys lead to police rumbling caravan drug den

A caravan drug den containing thousands of pounds worth of cannabis was sniffed out after more tenacious work by Nottinghamshire Police’s city knife crime team.

Earlier that night, officers had spotted a driver in the Aspley area of Nottingham suspected of being involved in the supply of drugs and they carried out a proactive vehicle stop.

A quantity of cannabis was found inside the Mercedes and the driver was arrested.

But the drug trail didn’t end there.

A bunch of keys was seized from the suspect which led to further searches of two addresses linked to him, in Aspley and Wollaton.

Officers seized Items including a deal list and cash from the Aspley address.

A search of the Wollaton address proved negative, however when officers searched a nearby area of wasteland, they came across a caravan.

As they approached it, there was a strong smell of cannabis.

When they checked the bunch of keys, they found that one of them unlocked the caravan door and others unlocked padlocked storage boxes found inside.

It led to them discovering and seizing thousands of pounds worth of cannabis, contained in bags, a large bundle of suspected counterfeit cash, and other drugs paraphernalia on 23 March 2022.

Sergeant Matt Daley, of the city knife crime team, said: “Patience and perseverance are key to our success in detecting crime and making our communities safer and in this particular instance those qualities paid off in spades.

“When we arrested the suspect, we recovered a large bag of cannabis from his vehicle. It was larger than would be expected for personal use, and our suspicions proved to right after the keys we took from him led to us making some very significant seizures.

“The dealing of drugs puts people at serious risk of harm, supports organised crime and can cause addiction which in turn pushes people to commit crime to fund a habit.

"That’s why our ongoing work to crack down on this type of criminality is a priority for us as a team and as a force.”

Meanwhile, in tonight’s episode, officers arrest a wanted man following a foot chase, a suspected shoplifter is flushed out and stopped in his tracks thanks to a united police team effort, and two drivers face the consequences after being stopped for suspected drink and drug driving.

Don’t miss all this, and more, in tonight’s brand new episode of Police Interceptors at 8pm on Channel 5.