WEAPONS SEIZED IN COP CRIME BLITZ
DRUGS and weapons were seized as police made eight arrests across Runcorn and Widnes as part of a joint operation with other forces including raids in Liverpool.
Operation Medusa arrived at the homes of suspected dealers on Friday, and was complemented by 47 stop searches across Halton and suspicious vehicles pulled over on the roads.
Merseyside Police led the initiative, with support from Cheshire Constabulary and British Transport Police, which monitored the railway network and deployed sniffer dogs.
Officers made 14 arrests in total, and at time of writing two had been charged.
A Cheshire police spokesman said the ‘county lines’ operation said Halton’s direct rail and road links mean the borough is among the areas targeted by gangs based in Liverpool.
Operation Medusa involved plain clothes officers at ‘strategic locations’ in Runcorn and Widnes, and the main road routes in and out of Runcorn and Widnes were monitored.
A total of 14 people were subsequently arrested, with two of them since being charged with drug dealing offences.
Four warrants were executed during the operation, on Wheatlands and Littlegate in Halton Brook in Runcorn and on Roscommon Street and
Anfield Road in Liverpool.
The Cheshire police spokesman said a small amount of the Class B drug cannabis was seized at the address in Wheatlands but no arrests were made.
At another address in the Grange area of Runcorn, suspected cocaine and cannabis and drugs paraphilia were seized, along with weapons including knives, machetes and an air pistol.
Two men at the property, aged 21 and 18, were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of the Class A and B drugs.
They have been released under investigation pending further enquiries, after being questioned in custody.
A 46-year-old man and a 45-year-old woman were also arrested in Runcorn on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, after being stopped and searched by officers.
The pair have subsequently been released under investigation in relation to this.
The woman has been charged with being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin, in relation to a different matter.
Also in Runcorn, a 23-yearold man was arrested on suspicion of drug driving and possessing an air weapon in a public place, and released under investigation.
A 20-year-old man was arrested in Widnes on suspicion of possession with intent to supply crack cocaine after being stopped and searched by officers.
He was subsequently been charged with the offence.
A 24-year-old man was arrested in Widnes on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a Class B drug after officers seized a quantity of cannabis and his moped in Widnes.
He has been released under investigation.
A 36-year-old man from Widnes has also been released under investigation, after being arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine following a stop and search.
In total, 47 people were stopped and searched in Halton, with drugs being found and seized from 10 of them.
Further searches of properties around Halton have taken place following on from the arrests.
On Halton’s roads, one vehicle was seized, one driver was summoned to appear at court in relation to driving offences, and two Traffic Offence Reports were issued.
Senior police officers said the operation was intended to disrupt drug supply and to prevent young people and vulnerable adults from being exploited in the drug trade.
Superintendent Laura Marler, who oversees policing in Runcorn and Widnes for Cheshire Constabulary, said: “Criminals don’t simply stop when they reach borders.
“In fact, organised crime groups based in major cities are always looking to extend their criminal activities into other locations, using mobile phones to let drug users know when and where they can buy illegal drugs from them locally.
“Friday’s operation was part of our ongoing commitment to disrupt criminal activity and make Runcorn and Widnes safer places to live, work and visit. However, it wasn’t just about catching criminals and seizing drugs.
“One of the main aims was to help identify and safeguard vulnerable adults and children who are controlled, coerced and manipulated into dealing drugs on behalf of organised crime gangs.
“By doing so we can offer them the support that they require and help to set them on the right path for a better life.
“The operation has also helped us to gather further information on how transport networks are being used by county lines criminals.”
Supt Marler added: “We will continue to work with other forces and partner agencies to do everything in our power to protect Halton residents from serious and organised crime.
“However, we also need support from the public.
“We need residents to be our eyes and ears by looking out for, and reporting, suspicious behaviour and signs of vulnerable children and adults being exploited. If you have any information that may help us to build more intelligence regarding county lines drug dealing, bring offenders to justice and keep vulnerable members of our communities safe then please get in touch.
“Together we can take dangerous substances off our streets.”