Pubdate: Mon, 19 Jan 1998
Source: The Independent (UK) 
Author: Kate Watson-Smyth
Contact: POLICE BREAK HEROIN GANG 

Police have broken a drugs gang believed to have been importing almost all
the heroin brought into Britain. 

The gang is believed to have dumped up to 100kg of heroin - worth £20m - on
to streets across the country every week. 

It was brought in from Turkey and passed through what police described as a
"clearing house" in north London before being distributed to smaller dealers. 

After two raids on houses in north and east London, 14 men have been
arrested and around £5m of heroin recovered. 

Detective Chief Inspector John Shatford, heading the operation, said the
raids would severely disrupt the flow of heroin in to the UK. "We believe
that all the heroin coming into this country goes to this gang in north
London which acts as a clearing house," he said. "It is difficult to
imagine a more significant seizure and we are all very pleased." 

A spokeswoman for Scotland Yard said the year-long operation to track down
the rest of the gang, which includes a number of Turkish nationals who used
the local Turkish community as a cover for their activities, would continue.