Heathrow police officers stole and sold rave drugs
By thisislocallondon – Wednesday 25 October 2000
Copyright: thisislocallondon
Three policemen and an extension-colleague sold rave drugs back onto the streets after they stole 40,000 ecstasy tablets, an Old Bailey jury heard.
The gang hit upon the “blatant and outrageous” scheme to remove more than £500,000 worth of deadly dance pills from under the roof of pine shop manager Jason Proctor.
Prosecutor Orlando Pownall said the police officers, all based at Heathrow Airport, were confident their activities would remain a secret.
However, former detective Duncan Hanrahan, 42, who the court heard was at the root of the plot and was jailed last year after admitting a number of offences, gave evidence against his former colleagues.
DC David Evans, 50, of Dyfed, south Wales, DC Christopher Carter, 47, of Ascot, and DS Leonard Guerard, 52, of Twickenham, all deny conspiracy to burgle ecstasy tablets from the Good Value Pine Shop, in Chiswick High Street, and conspiracy to supply the Class A drug.
A fourth man Vincent Arneil, of Sutton, who is accused of setting up the deal with Proctor, who has admitted various drugs offences, which allowed the officers to take away the drugs, denies the same charges.
Mr Pownall said that, after discussing various ways of stealing the pills with Hanrahan, a warrant was obtained on October 11, 1995, to search the shop “on the pretence there were stolen lighters on the premises.”
Carter, Guerard and Evans then raided the shop and stole the drugs from a cardboard box in the basement.
The court heard the drugs went on to be sold, mainly to dealers in Scotland, and the proceeds distributed.
Mr Pownall said: “Despite the blatant and outrageous actions of the three officers, they could rest assured that Proctor would be unlikely to report their misconduct.
“It would be the word of a drug dealer against the word of three police officers.”
He said the plot would have remained a secret but for the arrest of Hanrahan in May 1997.
Hanrahan, from Tonbridge, described how Guerard approached him with a box.
He said: “He opened the flaps and I could see inside a large polythene bag which appeared to be full of white tablets.”
The trial continues.
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