150 bags of heroin and cocaine dumped in Newbury's Victoria Park pond
Boating lake still empty after last week's drug drama
A SUSPECTED drug dealer dumped 150 bags of heroin and cocaine with an estimated street value of £10,000 into Newbury’s Victoria Park pond last week.
The drama unfolded in broad daylight in full view of families and small children using the adjacent playground during the first day of half term.
One witness, who did not wish to be named, claimed that the man jumped into the pond after being approached by police.
Officers recovered more than 150 individual ‘deal’ bags and asked for the pond to be drained to enable a full site investigation to take place and any other packages to be located.
A man in his early 20s from the East London area was charged with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and appeared at Reading Magistrates’ Court last Tuesday.
It comes just two weeks after a Newbury police officer warned of an ‘ongoing battle’ with dealers from outside the area supplying drugs in the town.
PC Chris Eaton, based at Newbury Police Station, said that many drug dealers see the areas surrounding the capital as ‘easy pickings’ and are recruiting addicts in the area as suppliers.
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Police, Connie Primmer, confirmed that “over 150 deals of Class A drugs, which are thought to be heroin and cocaine” were recovered in the park.
One witness, who did not want to be named, said: “Apparently it was heroin. About 10 grand’s worth. He jumped in the pond and police went in after him.”
Newbury Town Council’s services manager, Granville Taylor, confirmed that police had recovered a “substantial amount” of drugs from the pond.
Mr Taylor added: “At least 150 parcels, possibly 180, have been recovered so far. I believe they were all single deal bags.
“Police asked us if we could drain it down [the pond] so they could do a complete site investigation and see if there were any parcels that had been missed.”
In a separate incident on Sunday October 25 , a 40-year-old man from Newbury was arrested in Victoria Park on suspicion of possession with intent to supply cannabis.
Police said that in a subsequent search of his home address, a total of 19 deals of cannabis were found. He has been bailed until January 4.
