Police raids at two SE1 addresses

Seven people were arrested as eleven addresses in south London and Surrey were raided in the Flying Squad-led Operation Hoebrook.

A substantial amount of cash and class A drugs was recovered in the initial searches. More than 100 officers were involved in the early-morning raids.

One of the flats raided was at Helen Gladstone House in Nelson Square where one man was arrested.

The operation was mounted after officers identified a criminal network targeting commercial premises such as travel agents and bureaux de change. 60 of the offences were committed within London and 34 in other police areas. They occurred between January 2006 and April 2007.

"Today's arrests follow a substantial investigation into a large number of offences across London and the south-eastern counties. This is a large network that interchanged involvement from robbery to robbery and this made it especially difficult to identify all those concerned," says DI Tom Murray of Barnes Flying Squad.

"The Flying Squad is dedicated to identifying people concerned with robberies at commercial premises. The Met utilises all the tools at its disposal as well as working closely with the business community to help them improve security and make London safer."

Officers say that the men arrested are aged between late teens and mid twenties. They were taken to a central London police station.