Operation Vulcan: One million (and counting) potentially deadly pills removed from Greater Manchester’s streets

Over one million suspected counterfeit pills have been seized by Operation Vulcan officers during a search of a business premises in the Strangeways area of Manchester.

The search is linked to the arrest of a driver on suspicion of possession with intent to supply, possession of cannabis and drug driving. The man was detained following a proactive stop search by #GMPTransportUnit officers in the Broughton area of Salford.

Suspected counterfeit items and a significant quantity of cash were also recovered from the man’s home, where a woman was arrested on suspicion of money laundering.

Detective Chief Inspector Jen Kelly said: “This is a fantastic result for our communities. Counterfeit drugs pose a serious risk to vulnerable individuals and the sale of them often fuels the activities of organised crime groups.

“The stop search was a great piece of proactive work by GMP’s Transport Unit. The fact this intelligence was fed into our team is really encouraging and shows that cross-force support for Operation Vulcan is growing.

“We are in the early days of the Op Vulcan fight in Strangeways and Cheetham Hill and though we are doing everything we can to build a resilient community, we encourage members of the public to report concerns to us.”

Greater Manchester Police can be contacted via gmp.police.uk or 101. In an emergency, always dial 999. Information about crime can also be reported anonymously via the independent charity – Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.