Five people have been charged and a further two arrested as part of an investigation into the supply of class A drugs in the Barton Hill area of Bristol between June 2020 and January 2022.

On Tuesday, January 11, Hamze Hassan, 19 of Cotton Mill Lane was charged with being concerned in the supply of class A drugs and possession of criminal property.

Khalid Abditoon, 20 of Chelsea Park, Abdul-kadir Hassan, 20 of Heathcote Road, Anas Ismail, 21 of Strawbridge Road and Evan Raymond, 56 of Lawrence Hill were also charged with being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.

All have been remanded in custody with the exception of Ismail, who has been released on bail.

All defendants will appear at Bristol Crown Court.

A 44-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman were also arrested on suspicion of drug supply offences and have been released under investigation.

Investigating officer Sergeant Darrell Boothroyd said: “These arrests and charges are the latest stage of our work to combat drug criminality in the Bristol area. We continue to tackle the supply of harmful drugs in our communities with the help of information provided by the public.”

Inspector Catherine Leigh of the Bristol East Neighbourhood policing team said: “Drug abuse has a devastating social impact on communities. Vulnerable people are often exploited and children are forced to live alongside drug use and supply. As such we continue to work tirelessly to address this criminality and reassure the communities we police.”