Two arrested and weapons seized in Stockwell raid

'Specialist' armed officers from the Met Police raided the residential address in Stockwell Monday, seizing six 'zombie' knives, a loaded firearm and what was described as a "large amount" of cocaine from the property.

Police said the gun they seized was a "self-loading pistol" that contained bullets.

Two men, aged 43 and 47, were meanwhile arrested in the raids.

A statement from the Met said they were detained "on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, possession with intent to supply Class A drugs (cocaine) and possession of a bladed article."

"They have been taken to a south London police station where they remain in custody," a spokesperson added.

Detective Sergeant Phil Holt from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: "This warrant resulted a number of dangerous weapons being taken off the streets of London as well as a large amount of Class A drugs.

"This is yet another example of the inextricable link between drugs and violence."

The links between narcotics and violent crime are frequently highlighted by authorities tasked with policing controlled substances like illegal drugs.

However, a number of academic studies including a paper published last year by the Social Science Research Network argue the policy of prohibition, the 'War on Drugs', has correlated with increased violence in societies where it is practised because it forces the drug trade into the underground black market.