Seventeen arrested, £50,000 in cash and cars worth £175,000 seized

Car seized during Operation Trafalgar

Seventeen people have been arrested and approximately £50,000 in cash and five cars worth a combined total of £175,000 have been seized during Operation Trafalgar today (Wednesday 28 January).

Over 20 warrants have also been executed as part of the operation, which was specifically aimed at drug dealers who have been affecting the communities of Rochdale with their trade and associated criminal behaviour.

The operation stems from a covert operation which has been running for the past six months in Milkstone and Deeplish.

Chief Inspector Chris Hill, who led the Rochdale operation, said: “It has been a positive operation with 17 people arrested for various offences, a number of carsvalued at £175,000 and cash worth 50k seized.

“This operation is in direct response to what our community has been telling local police about the impact drugs has had on their communities.

“Officers will be working through the evening following through on the arrests.”

Since 2012, there have been 60 drug related deaths in Rochdale with 12 occurring in the past year.

The operation has been carried out across Greater Manchester with specialist officers from GMP’s tactical Aid Unit teaming up with detectives and neighbourhood offices.

Superintendent Craig Thompson, from the Specialist Operations Branch, said: “Today’s operation sends a clear message to drug dealers that we will take robust action to disrupt their activity and put them in front of the courts.

“Drug dealers have no respect for local communities and we will not stand by and allow them to cause misery in order to fuel their own dishonest and antisocial lifestyles.

“Tackling drug-related crime is daily business and officers are out there every single day of the year hunting those responsible for bringing drugs into our communities.

“Help us weed out these individuals and put them behind bars where they deserve to be by calling the police or Crimestoppers anonymously.”

To report drug dealing, contact Greater Manchester Police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.