Around 200 police officers have taken part in a massive policing operation targeting a suspected organised crime group (OCG) reported to have held a neighbourhood under its “reign”.
Pre-dawn raids struck simultaneously at around 6am on Wednesday - the 14 warrants timed to prevent word spreading of the crackdown before suspects could react. The OCG was reported to be so tightly knit that some properties were even next door or next door but one to each other in the cul-de-sacs of Murdishaw, Runcorn.
Eleven warrants were in Runcorn, one in Widnes and two in Merseyside, with a core set of eight primary targets, potentially rising to around 16 arrests in all. Operation Raid focused on the Murdishaw estate, where police said the OCG believed itself to be “untouchable” and where it is alleged to have controlled Class A and B drug supply.
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The ECHO was present as radio crackled with a string of reports confirming doors had gone through at successive properties, as the six-month investigation reached its conclusion.
Teams taking part in the strike phase of Operation Raid had assembled at Cheshire Police headquarters in Winsford from around 4.15am for briefings from Chief Inspector Andy Blizard, of Runcorn Local Policing Unit, Superintendent Gary Smith, and Chief Constable Mark Roberts, who urged his officers to take the "open goal” created for them.
The operation included support from 50 colleagues with Merseyside Police, and was part of the wider bid to tackle serious organised crime called Operation Issue.
Ch Insp Blizard said drug activity in Murdishaw had fed other problems including debts, loan sharking, and anti-social behaviour linked to disputes between “rival” groups.
He told the ECHO the OCG “thought they were untouchable and they ruled the Murdishaw area” but their “reign of command is coming to an end”, as he assured residents that police would act on their concerns and urged them to report any problems.
“Today has seen multiple arrests across Runcorn, Widnes and Merseyside resulting in 10 people being locked up so far with further to follow.
“This group felt that they were untouchable, they felt that they ran the locality.
“Today we sent a clear message to them that that is not the case.
“We will listen to the community and I encourage the community to report matters to us through either 101 or Crimestoppers.
“My message to them is quite simple: we will listen to you, we will take action, we will lock up offenders and put them before the court to prosecute them.”
The number of arrests had risen to 11 by around 7am with searches of the properties and efforts to trace further suspects due to continue throughout the morning.
More to follow.
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