Another arrest made in connection with massive drugs bust

Police have arrested a 14th person in connection with the action this week against an alleged drugs smuggling operation.

Ashley Jones, 29, from St Helens, has been remanded to appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court tomorrow, having been charged with conspiracy to supply class A and class B drugs, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said in a statement.

Another man, aged 36, has been arrested and is being questioned in custody after handing himself in to police on Thursday.

The arrests follow the appearance in court yesterday of 13 alleged members of the gang, accused of importing cocaine, heroin and cannabis worth billions of pounds.

They were arrested in dawn raids across the country on Tuesday in an operation by the NCA.

The NCA said the gang was part of an international organised crime group and Britain’s biggest alleged drug smuggling operation had been uncovered.

Arrests were made in London, Manchester, Stockport, St Helens, Warrington, Bolton, Dewsbury, and Leeds.

The 13 have all been charged with conspiracy to import class A and class B drugs and appeared at Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.

Seven defendants were remanded into custody, the NCA said.

They are Paul Green, 54, of Eccleston, St Helens; Sohail Quereshi, 59, of Wood Crescent, White City, London; Mohammed Ovais, 41, of Bournlee Avenue, Burnage, Manchester; Khaleed Vazeer, 56, of Westwood Avenue, Timperley, Manchester; Steven Martin, 48, of Chorley Old Road, Bolton; Mark Peers, 55, of Norbeck Close, Warrington, and Oliver Penter, 37, of Gladstone Street, Stockport.

Six others were released on bail. They are Vojtech Dano, 38, of Vulcan Gardens, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire; Ivan Turtak, 34, of Vulcan Gardens, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire; Ifthikar Hussain, 46, of Upland Grove, Leeds, West Yorkshire; Ghazanfar Mahmood, 48, of Green Lane, Bolton; Andrew Reilly, 37, of Grange Park Road, St Helens, and Paul Ruane, 58, of Bewsey Road, Warrington.