Nine Arrested In Oldham Drug Raids

Some nine people have been arrested in raids as part of an operation to target drug dealing in Oldham.

They were arrested when officers from Greater Manchester Police raided addresses just after 6am on Thursday morning.

Officers from Oldham's neighbourhood policing teams launched the operation, codenamed Operation Rescind IV, as their response to concerns the community had that drug dealing was a problem and, in turn, increasing crime and antisocial behaviour in the area.

The arrests came after months of investigations by officers from the Oldham division and Serious Crime Division into the distribution of heroin and crack cocaine.

In the latest raids this morning, eight men and one woman was arrested on suspicion of drugs offences, including possession with intent to supply class A drugs, after officers executed warrants across the Oldham area.

Properties were raided in the, Chadderton, Limeside, St. Marys and Clarksfield areas of Oldham and an address in Blackburn, Lancashire.

More than 100 officers were involved in the raids and included officers from the neighbourhood policing teams, Serious Crime Division, tactical aid units, dog handlers and officers from DWP.

Superintendent Catherine Hankinson, from Greater Manchester Police's Oldham Division, said: "Today shows that the desire to rid our communities of the blight of drugs is continuous and we will go back and keep tackling the issue in the same area as many times as necessary until the problem is dealt with.

"Drugs wreck lives and the crime associated with them causes misery to the whole community - so we do everything possible to find out who is responsible and put them before the courts."

(DW)