Talisman raid: Staff at Wolverhampton pub 'turned blind eye to crime'
Staff at a pub alleged to be at the heart of an organised drug ring were 'implicit' in the criminal activity or turned a blind eye to it, it is claimed.
In a damning report into alleged drug taking and dealing at The Talisman pub in Wolverhampton, police claim a 'criminal culture is being allowed to fester unchallenged' at the premises.
Police chiefs are seeking a review of the pub's licence which could remove the manager or see the premises closed for good.
The pub has been closed since a raid on March 4 when crack cocaine, digital scales and several bags and wraps of cannabis were found in the bar and toilets.
A licensing sub-committee earlier this month heard that the air was pungent with the smell of cannabis when around 40 officers with sniffer dogs arrived. They also uncovered £800 of herbal cannabis in the upstairs living quarters and cannabis production equipment in the cellar.
Some 35 pouches of Golden Virginia tobacco and six large bottles of vodka, thought to be contraband, along with suspected counterfeit clothing was also found. Four people were arrested, including two members of staff on suspicion of possession with intent to supply cannabis. The report warns that if convicted they could be jailed for up to 14 years.
In the same raid a customer was arrested for possession of a class A drug and another given a street caution for possession of cannabis. Around 25 customers were in the pub at the time of the raid, codenamed Operation Wheels.
Sgt Jake Flanagan told the earlier hearing that the tenant Peter Thacker was struggling to keep control of the pub since he was diagnosed with a serious illness last May and a 'power vacuum' had developed.
He said The Talisman, in Wildtree Avenue, The Scotlands, was 'at the heart of an organised crime drug ring.'
The pub's owner Punch Taverns has given the landlord its full support.
The report said: "West Midlands Police are gravely concerned regarding the findings of the executed warrant. Not only has it identified serious crime during the operating hours of the venue, we believe there is a criminal culture being allowed to fester unchallenged at the premises."
The report said it appeared that the staff of The Talisman 'are either implicit in serious criminal activity or, equally alarmingly, are turning a blind eye to it.'
There will be a full review on Thursday when its longer-term future will be decided.
