Man arrested in Cheetham Hill drug bust

In the early hours of this morning (Monday 18 September), Operation Vulcan executed a warrant at a property on Choral Grove, Salford, in relation to suspected prescription drug supply in the Cheetham Hill area.

A 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class C drugs.

Police also recovered significant amounts of cash inside the property.

In July this year, Operation Vulcan took on their biggest challenge yet when they seized a record-breaking number of counterfeit items, drugs and vapes stored in shipping containers on the outskirts of Cheetham Hill. This warrant was deemed the UK’s largest police operation to tackle the counterfeit trade which ranked amongst the largest globally.

One of the containers stored thousands of prescription drugs which detectives now believe to have traced back to a man in Salford.

Since then, Operation Vulcan launched an extensive investigation into the illegal supply of prescription drugs in Manchester, which included another record-breaking seizure in August, which saw police seize around £2 million worth – dubbed the largest single seizure of illicit prescription medication in UK history.

This arrest is the latest in a series targeting those suspected of being involved in the supply of illicit prescription drugs.

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Julien, one of Operation Vulcan's specialist officer's, said: “The warrant we executed in July placed Greater Manchester Police and Operation Vulcan onto the global stage with a record-breaking single seizure of counterfeit items and drugs, which highlighted the true extent of the criminality linked to the counterfeit trade which was happening on our doorstep.

“Since then, we’ve worked closely with partners to trace where these items came from, and who they belonged to, which ultimately led us to this property in Salford today.

“With the overt criminality in the area gone, we’re able to identify those higher up the chain responsible for flooding our streets with drugs and the associated violence. People’s lives are being destroyed by the misuse of prescription drugs and we will continue to disrupt and dismantle the supply chains operating out of the Cheetham Hill and Strangeways areas.”

If you suspect someone is illegally supplying prescription drugs or illicit substances, please report it online or via LiveChat at www.gmp.police.uk.”

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111