Three charged over Rasta temple drugs raid

7:59pm Friday 13th April 2007

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Three men have been charged over a suspected drugs den run from a Rastafarian temple in south London.

The trio were among 23 people arrested when about 100 armed officers stormed the site in St Agnes Place, Kennington, at dawn yesterday.

Fitzroy Pommel, 48, Jahlaw Salassie, 40, and Roderick Green, 45, have all been charged with conspiracy to supply cannabis. Pommel is also accused of possessing two bullets. All three are due to appear before Camberwell Green magistrates' court on Saturday.

The temple - four terraced houses painted in the Rastafarian colours of red, green and yellow - is the heart of Rastafarianism in the UK.

It borders on land visited in 1937 by the Ethiopian emperor Haille Selassie - the man they consider to be their god incarnate. In the 1970s it was also a favourite haunt of the reggae singer Bob Marley, whom they regard as a prophet.

By late yesterday afternoon, 11 of the 23 suspects have been released on bail pending the investigation.

Another eight have been cautioned for possession of cannabis. One of them, along with two others, are still being held over "immigration matters".

Police said the temple have been invaded by drug dealers. As many as 600 people a day visited the site to buy cannabis and crack cocaine.

The Rastafarians were not involved in the illegal trade, Lambeth borough commander Martin Bridger said earlier.

"Members of the management committee have actually come to me and said it's being taken over by people who are supplying drugs - it's no longer being used as a temple."

Hidden under floorboards, officers found several kilograms of cannabis, a "quantity" of crack cocaine and six bullets.

Evidence gathered during a two-month 24-hour surveillance operation showed a man waving a firearm outside the buildings.

The temple, topped by the Rastafarian flag, has been at the centre of a court dispute with Lambeth Council.

The council wants it torn down to make room for new social housing and to help rid the neighbourhood of crime.

It is part of an ongoing battle over St Agnes Place, which had been occupied by squatters for more than 30 years. Their eviction in 2005 marked the end of London's oldest squatted street.