A UNIVERSITY employee has been arrested after a sawn-off shotgun and £100,000 worth of cocaine and heroin were discovered on campus.
Students told of their shock after police raided a building at the University of Teesside, in Middlesbrough, on Monday night and found one of their biggest ever hauls of crack cocaine and £30,000 in cash.
Yesterday morning, they arrested a 45-year-old Middlesbrough man on his way to work at the university.
Police raided an outbuilding, which is part of the former library, after they were tipped off by security staff. A spokesman said they planned more raids at university sites.
Detective Sergeant Paul Templeton, of Middlesbrough drugs squad, said the cocaine and heroin was enough to supply Middlesbrough's drugs market for a week.
A 25-year-old psychology student from Redcar, east Cleveland, who asked not to be named, said: "It is a bit scary."
Det Sgt Templeton, said: "We are pleased with this recovery and it paints a real picture of what is floating around Middlesbrough at any given time.
"These are some of the biggest chunks of crack I have seen. Some of them would fetch £500 on the street."
Last night, the man arrested was still being interviewed by police.
A university spokesman said: "Teesside University has a strict anti-drugs policy and we have co-operated very closely with Cleveland Police in their inquiries leading up to this arrest."
He confirmed that the staff member arrested had been suspended in line with normal procedures.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article