Following a proactive car check in east London, two males have been detained, and narcotics and a gun have been taken off the streets of London.

On Thursday, September 21 at 14:43, while on patrol in unmarked cars, members of the East Area Violence Suppression Unit came upon a car stopped in York Road, Ilford.

A police officer maneuvered their car so that she could approach the two people she thought she could see smoking marijuana inside. The driver saw the unmarked vehicle at this point and sped away until coming to a stop in a parking lot in Trevor.

After the officers approached the car and searched one of the individuals, they discovered a significant amount of marijuana.

They started examining the car, and they found 17 packages of marijuana and a little black revolver in the glovebox.

It was taken for expert analysis after being confiscated.

Both suspects were instantly detained on suspicion of having a handgun and having class B narcotics with the intent to resell them. One of the men was also detained on suspicion of operating an uninsured vehicle and driving while ineligible.

They were both arrested. One of the men was granted bail and freed. The other was charged with and placed in detention for the driving offenses but was freed on bail.

“We know all too well that drugs are inextricably linked to violence in our communities,” said Detective Superintendent Richard Vandenbergh.

“The job my officers are doing here is again another indication that we are making every effort to stop major violence. I have no doubt that London is safer as a consequence of their perseverance and diligence. We should be really proud of them.