Home raided in big drugs crackdown
APROPERTY in Southport was raided as part of a major North Wales police operation against a drug network stretching as far as Scotland.
Hundreds of officers swooped on homes in Merseyside, Wales and Scotland on Thursday morning last week in a series of raids detectives hope will break the ring.
Police chiefs briefed 300 officers in dawn intelligence meetings at the headquarters of North Wales police and Merseyside police before the “strike day”.
Codenamed Operation Grind, the raids followed a 12-month covert investigation into heroin and crack cocaine dealing in North Wales.
The evidence led detectives to the streets of north Liverpool, where several addresses were raided.
Specialist equipment was used to smash through the front doors of two homes on one street, while a male suspect
flicked two fingers to those looking on as he was led to a police van in a neighbouring road.
Of the 16 people set to be questioned on suspicion of offences from drugs supply to money laundering, two of them were detained in Scotland.
The operation was led by North Wales police, which had officers embedded in each of the 16 search teams briefed at Merseyside police’s Canning Place base before leaving Liverpool city centre on Thursday.
The units then spread across Merseyside - several heading to north Liverpool, although homes near the city centre and as far north as Southport were also hit.
Every officer involved was told to wear body armour and was assured armed police and dog units were available if needed.
Police chiefs believe the network targeted in the raids operated along a “county lines” method of drug dealing.
County lines is the term coined for big city gangs who take over the drug markets of smaller cities, towns and villages.
Rather than sell drugs to local outfits, the leading figures send their own dealers to operate on the ground.
Such networks are typically based on exploitation, with vulnerable teenagers often sent to deal drugs on behalf of those higher up the chain while addicts who fall into debt may have their homes taken over for use as storage centres and operations hubs in a process known as “cuckooing”.
The authorities have repeatedly named Merseyside as one of the main exporters of such crime, which often brings violence as gangs fight with rivals for control.
North Wales, Cumbria, parts of Cheshire and Devon and Cornwall are among the areas Merseyside gangs hold most influence.
Supt Mark Pierce, of North Wales police, said: “The purpose of the coordinated action is to directly target serious organised crime groups distributing class A drugs throughout our force area and in line with the force’s vision of making North Wales the safest place in the UK.
“Our commitment to keeping our communities safe remains a priority and I am sure this action will reassure many.”
Anyone with information about serious and organised crime can contact Merseyside police via Twitter (@MerPolCC), or by calling the force on 101.
Crimestoppers can also be contacted, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.