Two men arrested on suspicion of money laundering offences in Chippenham

Two men were arrested in Chippenham yesterday (18/01) on suspicion of money laundering offences following a report of a suspicious vehicle.

At approximately 3.45am, officers from Team 1 were called to Draycot Cerne Truck Stop alongside a firearms unit and searched both the vehicle and occupants.

During the searches, in excess of £5,000 was located along with a small amount of cannabis.

As part of our enquiries, further searches were conducted at an address in Devon where a large amount of heroin and cocaine believed to have an estimated street value of approximately £6,500 was found along with £1,000 cash and other drug paraphernalia.

A 30-year-old man from Exeter and a 25-year-old man from Luton were arrested on suspicion of money laundering and conspiracy to supply class A drugs and were taken to Melksham custody for questioning.

They have both since been released under investigation in relation to this incident and enquiries are ongoing, however, the 25-year-old man has been further detained as a result of being recalled to prison.

Insp Gareth Edwards said: “This was excellent work by officers who used their professional curiosity to identify serious offences from a fairly innocuous report from a member of the public. "In total, officers seized £6,000 cash and approximately £6,500 worth of class A drugs.

“This highlights that the public are our eyes and ears and it is crucial that anyone who sees anything suspicious should report it to police via 101 so we can fully investigate.”

To report suspicious activity call 101, or call 999 if a crime is in progress. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. If you have information in relation to this incident, call 101 and quote crime reference number 54220005758.