Officers from Operation Venture arrest three people and seize weapons in Stockport yesterday

Greater Manchester Police’s Operation Venture is a team of officers who conduct patrols across the whole of Greater Manchester, with a particular focus on combatting serious violent crime.

The officers were in Stockport yesterday (4 May 2023), when they observed a vehicle and its occupants acting in a suspicious manner. The vehicle was followed for a short period of time before it was stopped on St Mary’s Way and the occupants were detained for the purposes of a stop and search.

Approximately 30-50 snap bags containing a substance believed to be Heroin were recovered along with a quantity of Class B drugs, a knuckle duster and two mobile phones.

The two occupants – a 28-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man - were subsequently arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A and class B drugs and possession of an offensive weapon.

Another 33-year-old man was later arrested in connection with the incident on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class A and concerned in the supply of class B.

A machete and an axe were seized as well as several mobile phones, a quantity of cash, scales, designer clothing and numerous other drugs paraphernalia.

Sergeant Paul Heap of Operation Venture said: “The arrests and seizures last night are a great result for the team. We’ve taken three potentially dangerous weapons off our streets and disrupted the supply of drugs which I hope will go some way towards making our streets safer.”

Not all of the work carried out by Operation Venture can be seen but there is a lot going on behind the scenes. If you know of a crime taking place or you have information that could help in our fight against violent crime and knife crime – including if you know of someone carrying a knife – please report it as soon as possible. We act on every piece of information and treat it in the strictest confidence.

You can make a report to GMP via 101 or the LiveChat function on our website: www.gmp.police.uk.

Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers also have a dedicated website which enables 11 – 17-year-olds to pass on information anonymously – this can be accessed through Fearless.org 

Always call 999 in an emergency.