Two serving Special Air Service soldiers have been charged with drug dealing after armed raids near the regiment’s headquarters.
For the first time in the SAS’s history, two elite operators will appear in court over their alleged involvement in trafficking banned substances.
They will give evidence behind screens and remain anonymous, following a request by Special Forces chiefs.
Pending the outcome, they have been banned from the SAS’s top-security base in Herefordshire and relieved of their duties.
The pair had been serving in an SAS ‘sabre squadron’ and participating in classified operations in the Middle East prior to their arrests.
As the Mail exclusively revealed, they were taken into custody by West Mercia Police in December 2023 following drug seizures from farm buildings.
The dramatic operation – during which locals were ordered to stay in their homes and the SAS base put on lockdown – involved all roads in the vicinity of the farms being cordoned off. Drones were also deployed and three arrests made.
The other suspect was the wife of one of the soldiers. Firearms officers from the local constabulary accompanied military police as there were concerns that weapons were also being hidden.
For the first time in the SAS’s history, two elite operators will appear in court over their alleged involvement in trafficking banned substances (pictured: A famous SAS sand coloured beret, with the Special Air Service insignia and motto)
The pair had been serving in an SAS ‘sabre squadron’ and participating in classified operations in the Middle East prior to their arrests (NOTE: The two soldiers are not pictured here)
It is not unusual for SAS troops in isolated areas to store weapons for their own security, but this must be authorised by commanders. The raids on November 30 last year came after a lengthy surveillance operation.
A year on, both soldiers have now been charged with making an offer to supply a Class B drug, cannabis or cannabis resin, and possessing the drug.
Last night, defence sources confirmed the charges and that a formal application for anonymity had been submitted to the court.
The decision to charge the soldiers could scarcely have come at a more challenging time for Special Forces chiefs.
UKSF is at the centre of a High Court inquiry into claims that elite British troops executed as many as 80 Afghans in custody between 2010 and 2013.
These ‘murders’ were supposedly committed by men from the SAS’s D and G squadrons.
Special Boat Service troops may also have been involved. Evidence gathered by the inquiry, led by Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, could lead to a criminal probe by the Metropolitan Police.
The Mail has also revealed how SAS chiefs used a top secret computer server to store indecent images of children which had been kept by troops.
UKSF is at the centre of a High Court inquiry into claims that elite British troops executed as many as 80 Afghans in custody between 2010 and 2013
The harvesting of the material in a classified compartment on the ‘Sonata’ system meant it could not been seen by military police.
Meanwhile, the two soldiers will appear before magistrates next month and the case is expected to reveal evidence of connections between SAS soldiers and high- level organised criminals who traffic huge quantities of drugs.
At the time of the arrests an SAS source suggested the regiment had been ‘turning a blind eye’ to troops’ off-duty activities.
They told the Mail: ‘If this is true, it basically means SAS soldiers are mixing with criminal gangs at a high level and acting as mules and dealers. What does that say about the security of the regiment and its vetting?’
Last night, the Ministry of Defence said: ‘Two service personnel will appear at Hereford Magistrates’ Court on January 8 charged with drug offences. We won’t comment further while legal proceedings are ongoing.