A drugs ring flooding one of the most deprived areas in the country with crack and heroin has been dismantled by police.
Lancashire Constabulary, working with Merseyside Police, Greater Manchester Police and the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) rounded up 14 suspected drug dealers in raids this month. The criminal firm, based in Salford, had been supplying Blackpool with Class As using young drug runners in the so-called county lines model.
The Lancashire town regularly tops lists of deprivation indicators and has the worst rate of deaths from drug misuse in the country, according to Lancashire County Council.
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The gang was taken down as part of Operation Banshee, which involved raids between July 4 and July 15. Detective Chief Inspector James Edmonds said: “County Lines is a significant threat, both nationally and locally within Lancashire. These organised criminal gangs prey on the vulnerable and exploit them at will, often leaving their victims with devastating long-term consequences.
“Lancashire Constabulary is committed to robustly tackle, disrupt, and dismantle groups who bring Class A drugs into our communities. We are determined to protect those most at risk and rid our communities of these activities.
“During this operation we have worked closely with our partners in Greater Manchester Police, Merseyside Police and North West Regional Organised Crime Unit to develop intelligence and gather evidence. This demonstrates our commitment to work closely with regional forces to bring offenders to justice. The message is clear, we will identify those who are running drug lines wherever you are.
“These arrests are a message to those who would consider engaging in these activities in Lancashire. We will relentlessly pursue those responsible and we will continue to develop operations of this type and you can expect to see further arrests of county lines criminals in the future.”
The following people have been charged and will appear before Blackpool Magistrates’ on 3 rd August:
- Roxanne Smethurst, 33, of Cornwall Drive, Bury, was charged with conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine
- Ian Angus, 36, of Cornwall Drive, Bury, was charged with conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine and money laundering
- Mohammed Abdalla, 19, of Kendrew Road, Bolton, was charged with conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine
- Daniel McGuiness, 18, of George Street, Salford, was charged with conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine
- Stephanie Rutter, 35, of Dixon Avenue, Salford, was charged with conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine
- James Jones, 46, of Duke Street, Hyde, was charged with conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine
- Lewis Johnson, 18, of Woodlake Avenue, Manchester, was charged with conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine
- A 17-year-old from Bolton was charged with conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine
- A 17-year-old from Manchester was charged with conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine and possession of an offensive weapon.
The following people have been given a postal summons to appear at court:
- Ryan Angus, 24, of Allesley Drive, Cheetham, was charged with conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine
- Mustafa Mohamud, 21, of no fixed address, was charged with conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine
- Luis Fonseca, 24, of New Street, St Helens, was charged with conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine
- A 17-year-old of no fixed address was charged with conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine
A 29-year-old woman, from Blackpool, was arrested on suspicion of supplying heroin and crack but later released without charge.
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