A MAJOR police operation has descended on a business near the centre of Oxford.
A total of five police cars with around a dozen officers raced to Booker Wholesale on Osney Mead Industrial Estate off Botley Road just after 9am this morning.
The Oxford Mail was on the scene as a man was handcuffed and police officers hurried to search a large blue van parked in front of the shop.
Police cars were seen racing down the Botley Road in front of Waitrose at about 9.10am with blue lights flashing.
The cars all drove straight to the wholesaler warehouse, which sells bulk goods at wholesale prices to retailers like shops and restaurants across Oxfordshire.
Three normal-sized squad cars pulled into the car park and surrounded the blue Mercedes van.
Two larger cars parked near the entrance to the car park and waited, as if to stop people leaving.
Officers got out of the cars in the car park and started examining the van tentatively.
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Then, two officers spotted a man sat on a bench at the edge of the car park watching proceedings.
They immediately walked over to him and put him in handcuffs as the Oxford Mail watched.
He was then held by one officer while another searched his clothes, pulling items out of his pockets.
The man was co-operative and did not resist, answering officers' questions.
Meanwhile a separate team of officers continued to look inside all areas of the van.
It remains unclear what they were searching for.
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Booker customers putting their shopping into their cars, and staff inside watching from upstairs windows looked on in astonishment at the dramatic scene.
One Booker employee who had just arrived at work said they had no idea what the incident was about, or why there was concern over the van.
Thames Valley Police has now revealed that the officers were searching for drugs - and they found some.
Spokeswoman Louisa Maher said: "Thames Valley Police stopped and searched two males in Osney Mead industrial estate in Oxford at around 9am today.
"Two men were detained for drugs searches during proactive patrols and cannabis was recovered.
"A vehicle was seized for no insurance and the driver reported to court."
Ms Maher also said the police issued a fixed penalty notice - like a speeding ticket - for the cannabis.
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