Police made four arrests and seized a large stash of mamba after chasing down a suspected shoplifter.
Officers from the Gedling Central neighbourhood policing team were on patrol in Arnold when they were alerted to a theft taking place at the town’s Asda store.
A man had picked up packets of detergent, left the store without paying, and fled on a bicycle along Front Street at around 11.30 am on Tuesday (19 May).
Officers carried out an area search and located a suspect who cycled away from them at speed towards a block of flats in Frobisher Gardens.
The suspect was located inside a flat and detained.
While searching for the stolen items, officers found large amounts of mamba in various rooms, as well as smaller quantities of Class A drugs, cash, weighing scales, and other drug paraphernalia.
Three other people who were inside the property were subsequently arrested.
A 46-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of shop theft, possession with intent to supply a Class B drug, and possession of a Class B drug.
Two men, aged 18 and 20, and a 52-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a Class B drug.
The 18-year-old was further held on suspicion of possession of criminal property, while the woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of a Class A drug.
Sergeant Alison Riley, of the neighbourhood team, said:
“By being out on patrol and in the right place at the right time, we were able to chase down a suspected shoplifter.
“This pursuit also led us to a property containing significant amounts of mamba and resulted in the arrest of three other people suspected to be involved in drug dealing.
“Both acquisitive crimes like shoplifting and drug dealing are priorities for the team, so it was pleasing to have such a positive result.”
