Four arrests and £1m drugs seizure in Rochdale

Police have seized an estimated £1 million worth of drugs and arrested four people as part of an investigation into the suspected large-scale supply and distribution of illicit drugs.

Officers from the Serious Organised Crime Group (SOCG), supported by the Tactical Aid Unit (TAU), executed six warrants across Rochdale this morning.

Over the past six months, officers have worked to build a detailed intelligence picture, using surveillance, telecommunications data and a range of investigative enquiries to establish the scale of the suspected drugs network and identify those believed to be involved.

That work led officers to several premises believed to be linked to the storage and distribution of illicit drugs on a significant commercial scale.

During this morning’s warrants, officers uncovered what is suspected to be a dedicated drugs storage facility in Manchester Road, Rochdale.

From the outside, the address appeared to be a residential property, but inside officers discovered vast quantities of suspected illicit drugs with an estimated value of more than £1 million.

Officers also discovered a list detailing more than 100 different types of drugs believed to have been supplied by the organised crime group, ranging across Class A, B and C drugs.

A significant proportion of the haul consisted of prescription-type medication, alongside bodybuilding and weight-loss drugs.

A number of electronic devices were also seized including over 30 mobile phones that will now be examined as part of the ongoing investigation.

Officers also recovered an estimated £60,000 in cash.

Four people were arrested and drugs worth £1 million were seized. Image: GMP

Two men aged 52 and 23 were arrested in Twingate, Rochdale on suspicion of conspiracy to supply Class A, B and C drugs.

A man aged 51 was arrested on Whittaker Lane, Rochdale on suspicion of conspiracy to supply Class A, B and C drugs

A man aged 44 was arrested on Kingsway, Manchester also on suspicion of conspiracy to supply Class A, B and C drugs

The four men remain in custody for questioning.

Detectives will now examine the evidence seized and conduct searches to build a clearer picture of the full scale of the suspected operation, including how the drugs were being sourced, stored and distributed.

Detective Inspector Rich McCorry, of the Serious Organised Crime Group, said: “Let this be a clear message to anyone choosing to involve themselves in serious and organised crime: Greater Manchester Police will not stand for it and we will find you. We will work relentlessly to disrupt the lifestyle your criminality is funding.

“We believe this is a sophisticated and well-established organised crime group. The premises we entered today were fully equipped with security measures, laptops and large quantities of drugs, indicating what we suspect was a highly organised operation supplying drugs both online and in person to customers nationally.

“This type of criminality fuels violence, exploitation and misery in our communities, while those responsible seek to profit from it. We are determined to dismantle these networks.

“I want to thank the SOCG officers who have dedicated the past six months to this investigation.

“A huge amount of work has taken place behind the scenes to reach this point, and today’s action demonstrates that dedication. Our investigation does not end with these arrests, and we will continue to follow the evidence and pursue those we believe are involved.”

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