Officers from the Paramilitary Crime Task Force (PCTF), investigating suspected drugs criminality linked to East Belfast UVF, carried out a search of a vehicle in the east Belfast area today, Saturday 4 December.

Suspected herbal cannabis with an estimated street value of £100,000 was seized. A subsequent search of a nearby residential property uncovered cocaine with an estimated street value of £4,000 and other items suspected to be criminal property.

A 21 year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of class A controlled drug,  possession of class A controlled drug with intent to supply, possession of class B controlled drug,  possession of class B controlled drug with intent to supply and possession of criminal property.

He remains in custody at this time being questioned.

Detective Inspector O’Neill said: “Paramilitary groupings rely on the income they make from their involvement in the supply of controlled drugs to fund their wider criminality.

“PCTF will target all levels of people involved in this criminality, including those that act as large scale facilitators or those who sell drugs on their behalf.

“Where we recover assets associated to that criminality they will be seized.

“By targeting drug related activity not only do we remove illegal drugs from the street, which in themselves cause harm through addiction, debt and their effects on physical and mental health, we also remove funds from the pockets of paramilitaries and therefore loosen their control on the communities who ultimately want to see them gone.”