Drugs and cash seized during morning raids at suspected stash houses

GMP's Serious Organised Crime Group executed eleven warrants

Detectives from GMP's Serious Organised Crime Group executed eleven warrants yesterday (17 April) at addresses across Rochdale and Lancashire, believed to be connected to a large-scale drugs conspiracy.

As well as raiding their homes, several warrants were executed at premises believed to be stash houses for an Serious Organised Crime. A search of these revealed several mobile phones, quantities of cocaine, and cannabis plants.

An estimated £20,000 cash has also been seized.

Eight people, aged between 27 - 56, have been arrested on conspiracy to supply drugs. They remain in police custody for questioning.

These are the latest arrests which come as part of GMP's ongoing investigations into the criminal use of encrypted mobile phones. In 2020, as a result of the NCA take down of Encrochat – the encrypted messaging platform once used by criminals across the globe, police were handed hundreds and thousands of messages from the once secure platform. This gave them an insight into the criminal underworld which had never been seen before.

Over the last few years, officers have been systematically working our way through these messages, attributing them to criminals across the region.

The organised crime teams have taken down some of Greater Manchester’s most sophisticated criminals, putting them behind bars for over 1,000 years, and seizing huge hauls of drugs and firearms.

Detective Sergeant Rich McCorry from GMP's Serious Organised Crime Group said: “The ability for criminals to benefit from the proceeds of drugs is a key driver for organised crime, and we have specialist detectives working tirelessly to eliminate the key players from criminal networks across the region.

“Today’s action is a result of months of hard work by detectives whose proactive investigations into the drugs trade in Manchester has led them through these doors today.

“We will continue to employ every possible tactic to target and disrupt organised crime groups, and ensure they are brought to justice.”