By SCM REPORTER 27 April 2026
LONDON – Cops have smashed a major criminal network after a massive three-day blitz across London and the Home Counties saw 85 suspects cuffed.
In a high-octane crackdown dubbed Operation Pandilla, the Met Police teamed up with seven other forces to hunt down gang members using the road network to flood our streets with drugs.
Using state-of-the-art Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology, officers pounced on “flagged” vehicles within minutes. The dramatic stings—supported by police helicopters and dog units—saw 85 cars hauled off the road and 11 deadly knives seized.
The operati on didn’t just stop at the roadside. Officers recovered over £10,000 in dirty cash and uncovered a haul of Class B drugs.
In one dramatic bust in Ealing, a 27-year-old man was tackled after a dangerous pursuit. A raid on his home later uncovered nearly a kilo of cannabis, scales, and a professional cash counter.
The tech also helped cops snare a suspected predator. ANPR cameras flagged a car linked to a terrifying incident where a young girl was approached and harassed in Barnet.
Officers spotted the vehicle, engaged in a short chase, and arrested a 36-year-old man on suspicion of attempted child abduction.
”This operation demonstrates our commitment to dismantle organised crime groups operating across London,” said Superintendent Francesca-May Robinson.
”Our determination to tackle cross-border offending is clear. We disrupted these groups over 21,000 times last year alone.”
The Big Stats: Operation Pandilla
The latest sting is part of a massive ongoing war on “County Lines” and violent crime. Since the operation launched, the results have been staggering:
