A COUSIN of former Spice Girl Emma Bunton has been charged with possessing cocaine with intent to supply.

Steven Bunton, 26, from East Barnet, will go before Barnet Magistrates' Court next Thursday, along with David Dean, 24.

The pair were arrested after a raid by police on the home they were sharing in Brookhill Road, East Barnet, on November 10 last year. Police discovered 35 grams of cocaine, worth around £2,100 on the street. Large amounts of the Class A drug were hidden in the bedrooms of the two men.

They were charged on January 22 after laboratory tests on the drugs. Dean is also charged with possession of an offensive weapon after officers found a pocket knife while searching him.

In an interview with this newspaper a fortnight ago, Ms Bunton, who was raised in Finchley and studied at Barnet College, said: "North London is my home. All my family is here. Being around family and friends keeps you grounded."

Ms Bunton this week declined to comment on her cousin.

In a separate incident, also in East Barnet, more than 200 cannabis plants were found by police after raiding a property in Jackson Road.

On February 22, officers from East Barnet Safer Neighbourhoods team discovered four rooms at the address were being used to grow the plants. Police believe the plants could have been cropped up to four times a year, providing cannabis with a street value of around £80,000 a year.

Sergeant Geoff Carter, who leads the East Barnet Safer Neighbourhoods team, said: "The information was provided by members of the community who had seen some comings and goings at the house. We suspected what was going on and got a warrant, entered, and found what was there.

"Houses set up like this can be a fire hazard because of the diversion of electricity, so it is a two-fold success, in terms of public safety and shutting down the factory."

In April last year, Sgt Carter's team conducted similar raids at a property two streets away, in Crescent Road, and at two further locations in Whetstone and Brunswick Park the following month.

Those raids uncovered plants capable of producing drugs with a street value of more than £300,000 a year.