Nowhere to hide for these evil big dealers

SIR JOHN, who last week led a daring SAS-style raid on a crack den on the 13th floor of a London tower block, explains why hard drugs are at the top of his hit list.

CRACK cocaine is one of the most addictive drugs known to man.

In the capital, control of the crack market is behind many of a recent wave of shootings and murders, and is linked to increases in the use of automatic weapons on the streets.

In short, crack is a major problem.

But the situation is not out of control - and as our Operations Crackdown and Trident show, we are getting on top of it.

But there is no doubt that drug dealers today are more sophisticated.

Their latest ploy is to sell crack and heroin in the same packages to hook more addicts .

In the last few months, we have seized both crack and heroin from the same dealers.

If you mix crack with heroin, it has a massively destructive effect on the human frame. It has a massive effect on users' behaviour. And youngsters are getting into it.

To tackle these new problems, we have developed new techniques. Specialist teams, like the one which abseiled into a 13th-floor crack den this week, are now being deployed.

On drug raids, we take scientists and researchers so we can work out how dealers are connected and the source of the drug.

We are building up a bigger picture which connects gangsters in London and to suppliers all over the UK. In other words, we know who the big dealers are.

And there is more good news - one of the most surprising aspects of Operation Crackdown was the reaction of neighbours.

People came on to their doorsteps and clapped and cheered.

They understood that this was making their neighbourhood a safer place to live.

Dealers must get the message: "There is no hiding place. Wherever you are - even 13 floors up - I will do everything in my power to put you behind bars."

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