Pacha closes after drugs raid

10 people have been arrested after police raided Pacha nightclub in Victoria, which is now closed.

Officers, acting on intelligence, executed a search warrant at the club in Terminus Place at around 12.30am on Saturday.

They searched over 200 people and arrested 4 on suspicion of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply, 3 on suspicion of possessing Class A drugs and 3 for other offences.

Police say around 100 pills, 30 wraps of white powder and 6 wraps of brown powder were found discarded at the scene.

Following the raid, the club's manager agreed to a voluntary closure pending a review of his licence.

But Pacha's owner, William Reilly, denies any drugs were found in the club. In a statement, he said: "Pacha was stripped and searched for drugs and found to be clean".

The statement on the club's website goes on: "This is a massive shock to the management and staff of the club as we have worked closely with Belgravia police and never had reason to believe we had a drug problem within the venue.

"For over 15 years the Pacha group have worked closely with the police and councils to deter drug use in the venues.

"This lack of trust and heavy-handed approach has done nothing to stop drug dealing in clubs but drives a wedge between the police, public and management."

But police defended the raid. In a statement, Scotland Yard said: "This was a highly successful operation which has taken a number of drug dealers off the streets of Westminster and sends a robust message to those that operate licensed premises.

"The vast majority of licensees work hard to prevent this sort of recreational drug use from taking place in their venues and we will continue to work with all licencees in the Westminster area to ensure people can enjoy these venues free of drug dealing and the associated crime it attracts."

According to Pacha's website, it will reopen next week.