Police have issued a warning to nitrous oxide dealers after five suspects were arrested this morning.
Separate cars were pulled over two hours apart by officers on patrol in and around Nottingham city centre.
A mixture of armed policing and response officers firstly worked together to bring a vehicle to a stop in Burton Street.
That’s after they received information suggesting a car they’d spotted could potentially be involved in the supply of drugs.
Searches at the roadside – just after 2.45am – subsequently then resulted in dozens of nitrous oxide cannisters being found onboard.
Faced with that discovery, police arrested three men, aged 20, 20 and 23, all on suspicion of possessing with intent to supply Class C drugs.
Not long after that trio had been brought into custody, response officers also completed a similar car stop on the outskirts of the city centre.
Aided by information linking a vehicle to the sale of drugs, police made the decision to pull it over in Manvers Street, Sneinton, around 4.30am.
Quantities of nitrous oxide and balloons were duly found inside the vehicle and recovered by police.
Two men, aged 19 and 20, were arrested on suspicion of possessing with intent to supply Class C drugs, with the 20-year-old suspect also arrested for driving offences.
There is currently no evidence to suggest the two incidents in the early hours of this morning are linked.
Chief Inspector Kylie Davies, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“It is important people understand that wrongfully inhaling nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, isn’t just harmless fun but could actually pose a considerable health risk.
“Selling these cannisters is a crime, so anyone thinking of involving themselves in this activity should think again and note the severe consequences they could face.
“The supply of these drugs is a very serious offence and could potentially lead to a maximum sentence of up to 14 years in prison.
“As we showed with these two vehicle stops in the early hours of this morning, our officers will take action should we receive information relating to the sale of drugs.
“Whether it’s Class A, Class B, or – as in this case – Class C drugs, Nottinghamshire Police will not tolerate drug activity of any kind in our communities.
“We hope the five arrests made in these two separate incidents provide the public with some reassurance and show them how highly we prioritise cracking down on drugs supply in our city and county.”
