Nine men had been arrested and brought into police custody on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A drugs after early morning raids across Salford
Police carried out eighteen warrants in the operation known as Operation Display which followed an investigation into the alleged large scale county lines drugs supply operating across Salford.
For several years Salford has had consistent reports of street level drug dealing in the Pendleton area including Salford Precinct and the Broadwalk. The dealing activity extends beyond Pendleton to areas such as Broughton, Higher Broughton and Eccles.
The main drug types concerned are heroin and crack cocaine, although there is also evidence of cannabis dealing.
The dealing activities often lead to acts of violence with rival drug gangs vying for control of the lucrative Salford Precinct and Eccles drug supply hotspots. This has led to firearms discharges, several stabbings and some fatalities.
‘Salford Connect’ has since been set up to protect victims of cuckooing and target those responsible for this increasing trend.
As a result of the Operation Display investigation 37 street level drug dealers have been encountered that are operating in the Pendleton, Eccles, Broughton and Higher Broughton areas.
The investigation team has been working to formally identify those involved and as a result 14 individuals will be arrested during the first phase. From the first 14 suspects, three are identified as being under 17 years of age.
Following on from this morning’s activity local officers joined up with Crimestoppers and a digital van did a tour around Pendleton, Eccles and Broughton that led to plenty of engagement with members of the public. They were informed of the arrests that occurred as well as encouraged to continue generating information that relates to organised crime.
Detective Inspector Rebecca McGuigan, of GMP’s Salford Challenger organised crime team, said: “The execution of these warrants this morning should serve as a warning to those engaging in criminal activities – we will come after you and as a force we remain committed to tackling serious and organised crime across Greater Manchester.
“I must thank our officers for their diligent intelligence gathering that enabled us to execute such a significant number of warrants today that led to many arrests, as well as the NWROCU for their support in this strike day.
“Drugs supply and organised crime has been blighting the community of Salford for quite some time now and we’re continuing to be relentless in tackling serious and organised crime.
“I want to take this opportunity to encourage the public to continue reporting drug activity so we can take action and make Salford an even safer place to live and work.”
