Police smash down door in raids over ‘one in every of UK’s largest drug conspiracies’
Eight people were arrested during coordinated raids across Merseyside on suspicion of involvement in a widespread, multi-million pound conspiracy to produce and supply class A and B drugs
Silence. Then, the tranquillity of the dark, frosty morning is shattered by the thunderous crash of a battering ram relentlessly pounding into the reinforced front door of a suspect tied to a drug lab conspiracy thought to be one of the biggest the UK has ever witnessed.
At 7am sharp, squads from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) executed a series of synchronised raids across Liverpool, Knowsley and Sefton, zeroing in on a local gang suspected of manufacturing and distributing class A and B drugs. Merely minutes later, eight out of the targeted 10 suspects were in cuffs and awaiting transport to the nick.
The ECHO accompanied one team as they served a warrant at a flat in Prescot on Thursday morning. Travelling in convoy in a police carrier, the ECHO tailed an unassuming, white Ford Transit van.
Hidden in the back, unbeknownst to the public, were several heavily-armoured coppers; kitted out in protective gear and armed with an array of entry tools including hand-held battering rams and an electric saw.
After briefly stopping in a nearby pub car park to ensure all strikes were launched simultaneously, the specialist unit rolled into the ordinary street – a blend of neat shop fronts and doors leading to flats. Half a dozen officers sprinted down an alleyway, heading for the suspect’s front door, with half veering around the back, reports the Liverpool Echo.
One officer shattered the front door’s lock, while another began to saw open the door to weaken its frame. After several blows with the battering ram, a towering police officer managed to breach the front door, with another officer swiftly leaping through the gap and dashing upstairs.
The suspect, a 68 year old bloke, was nabbed by officers seconds later at the back of the building. A senior officer informed the ECHO that the suspect attempted to escape through a back door before he was apprehended.
Moments later, the suspect was escorted from the building clad in shorts, a stained top and work boots, with a green jacket draped over his head to shield his identity.
The raid was one among 10 executed at residential addresses across Merseyside as part of the NWROCU’s investigation, dubbed Operation Soap. Eight individuals were nicked this morning on suspicion of production of class A and B drugs and conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs.
Inspector Danny Murphy, of NWROCU, revealed to the ECHO that the probe kicked off in June 2023 when a Liverpool man, who had travelled to south Wales, was discovered with 90 kilos of amphetamine in his vehicle. The case was promptly handed over to NWROCU when it emerged that the crime group was deeply entrenched on Merseyside.
On 25 April 2024, a specialist unit executed a series of warrants on buildings suspected of being drug adulteration labs aimed at boosting profits. Insp Murphy revealed that an industrial premises in Bootle was raided, where officers discovered what they believed to be a tonne of heroin adulterant and other chemicals.
Another warrant was served at an industrial unit in Huyton, yielding 550 kilos of suspected cocaine adulterant. A concurrent raid in St Helens uncovered a suspected amphetamine lab, with 80 kilos of the class B drug and other chemicals seized.
Insp Murphy told the ECHO: “The scale of the laboratories and the units we have uncovered at this stage is one of the largest the UK has ever seen…these warrants show we are taking the supply and production of class A drugs very seriously.”
The senior officer stated that all suspects arrested that morning were due to be questioned regarding their alleged involvement in a “widespread, multi-million pound conspiracy”. He added: “The scale is very high and they are suspected of being significant players in an organised crime group here in Merseyside.”
The suspects are believed to have performed various roles within the organisation, including acting as cooks, couriers or part of the wider organisation.
Insp Murphy revealed that gangs in the north west are bringing in class A drugs from abroad but “will then mix them up and double them out here in the UK for onward scale”.
He explained there was “multi-million pound benefit” and profits could soar dramatically.
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