‘COMATOSE SPICE USERS ARE RUINING OUR CLOSE’
NEIGHBOURS on a north Manchester close say Spice users can be found lying ‘comatose’ outside their homes every day.
Families claim drug dealing has become such a problem on Orme Close, in Beswick, that children are afraid to play outdoors.
One householder has even placed a sign on their door in a bid to deter dealers, which reads: “Sugar only. No Spice. Do not knock on my door. Wrong house!”
And some living in the area say they are scared to use a nearby alleyway for fear of encountering people high on the illegal substance.
The shocking revelations come after police raided a property on the close in the early hours of yesterday.
Officers discovered 20 small snap bags of Spice, scales and £500 in cash during the raid, which woke neighbours at around 5.30am. They also found a handwritten ‘pricing list’ for the buying and selling of the drug.
Two people have been arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Spice. A 46-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman remained in police custody and were due to be quizzed by officers yesterday.
A recent M.E.N. investigation into Spice revealed how a new strain of the drug is turning homeless people into ‘zombies.’ Horrifying images show those who have used the psychoactive substance standing frozen and collapsed in city centre doorways.
But residents living on Orme Close say Spice is also being used in the suburbs. They say drug dealing on the close has been a problem for around a year, starting in earnest last summer, with many children living in the neighbourhood afraid to play out.
One resident, who asked not to be named, said: “It’s been bad for about a year and it’s only going to get worse over the summer.
“They’re blatantly doing drugs in front of us. Then they’re sparked out on the floor and at the bus stop.
“It makes you nervous to walk through to go to the shops. They’re all there hanging around at the bus stop.
“We’ve got little kiddies playing here. They’re scared. One girl said to me ‘I’m scared of them men with the drugs.’”
Another neighbour says there is drug dealing on a daily basis in the street. He claims that neighbours feel threatened by several young men who ‘hang around’ the close each day selling drugs. The early hours raid on Orme Close was part of Operations Challenger, an ongoing police scheme aimed at tackling organised crime.
Detective Inspector Paul Walker, of Greater Manchester Police’s Challenger Manchester Team, said officers executed the warrant after receiving intelligence from members of the community. Anyone with information about criminality in their area can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.