Dawn raids saw seven men arrested as part of a crackdown on an organised crime group operating across Rochdale.

This morning (Thursday 30 July 2020) a team of officers from Rochdale’s Complex Safeguarding Unit executed warrants at ten addresses across Rochdale.

Seven men – aged between 18 and 27 – were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs and participating in the activities of an organised crime group. They all remain in custody for questioning.

As part of today’s action a large quantity of cannabis was recovered from one of the addresses.

These warrants come as a result of months of investigative work carried out by officers and were executed as part of Operation Ovine - an investigation into an organised crime group who are believed to be supplying drugs in the Falinge and Freehold areas of Rochdale.

Detective Inspector Karl Ward, from GMP’s Complex Safeguarding Hub, said: “We currently have seven men in custody which is a testament to the dedication of our officers and the months of hard work and time spent investigating in order to disrupt this organised crime group.

“Today’s actions demonstrate that GMP, supported by our Rochdale local authority partners, will not tolerate this activity in our communities, and I am thankful to members of the local community who have provided valuable information that has been crucial in assisting us with this investigation.

“Drugs can have a devastating impact on communities and the importance of this operation should not be underestimated. There will be an increased presence of Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers from the Rochdale Neighbourhood team in the Falinge and Freehold areas over the next coming days, and I encourage any residents who may have any questions as a result of this operation to speak with them about your concerns.”

Anyone with any information should contact police on 0161 85 68487 quoting incident number 441 of 30/07/20

Reports can also be made anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.