Ten men have been arrested as part of following a series of dawn raids.
Police smashed down the doors of 13 properties at 6am this morning (Wednesday July 27) as part of an investigation into drug supply, codenamed Operation Heartwood. The operation was launched in response to intelligence received about an organised crime group based in Middleton, who are allegedly running a large scale drugs conspiracy from several addresses in the area.
Homes in Middleton were raided, along with buildings in Heywood, North Manchester, Lancashire and West Yorkshire. Ten men, aged between 34 and 54, have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Around £30,000 was also seized, as well as 'high value' jewellery and a cash counting machine.
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Detective Inspector Justin Bryant, of GMP's Serious and Organised Crime Group, said: “We’re really pleased with the result from this morning’s warrants executed by our Serious and Organised Crime Group, across three counties. Op Heartwood was launched in response to intelligence received about an organised crime group based in Middleton, who we discovered to be running a large scale drugs conspiracy from several addresses in the area.
"As a result of the investigation, three people have already been arrested and subsequently charged with drug supply offences and we will continue to work until every member of this crime group is brought to justice. As well as the arrests made, we also seized approximately £30,000 in cash, as well as high value jewellery and a cash counting machine.
“I hope these arrests will reassure the public that we are committed to making our local communities safer for everyone by disrupting this type of serious criminality. We understand the impact that drug dealing has on our communities and it won’t be tolerated. As always we very much welcome and rely on information from the public to help us to disrupt crime"
Anyone with information can contact police on 101 or by using the Live Chat facility of the GMP website. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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