Crackdown on organised crime continues with four arrests and £40k in class A drugs seized

We have arrested four people after finding around £40,000 worth of class A drugs, thousands of pounds in cash and phones believed to be linked to drug dealing, as our fight against serious organised crime continues.

Yesterday (Tuesday 23 January), we acted on intelligence and searched five separate addresses in co-ordinated warrants in Burslem, Newcastle and Norton Heights.

Our officers seized a total of two kilograms of heroin and crack cocaine, £20,000 in cash and several mobile phones – including a suspected main drug line, believed to be used to co-ordinate drug deals.

Following the activity, we arrested four people on suspicion of a number of offences:

A 33-year-old man, from the Stoke-on-Trent area, on suspicion of conspiring to supply a class A drug (cocaine).

A 20-year-old man, from the Stoke-on-Trent area, on suspicion of conspiring to supply a class A controlled drug (heroin), arranging or facilitating travel of another person with a view to exploitation and holding a person in slavery or servitude.

A 25-year-old man, from the Stoke-on-Trent area, on suspicion of conspiring to supply a class A drug (cocaine).

A 20-year-old woman, from the Newcastle area, on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of cocaine.

All three men remain in police custody. The woman has been released under investigation.

Detective Inspector Tim Boulton, from major organised crime, said: “This is a significant seizure of drugs following a number of co-ordinated warrants in the area. This was a team effort with elements of proactive and reactive policing combining to detain suspected drug dealers and take harmful substances out of circulation.

“A lot of our work is intelligence led but we also work closely with our communities, listening to their concerns and acting on their information.”

The activity follows our ongoing commitment to proactively target serious and organised crime across Staffordshire.

We launched Operation Target in May last year and have been working with local police forces to disrupt and pursue criminals who plan, organise and commit serious criminal offences across the county, including drug supply, illegal firearms, knife crime, human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

To read more about the work we’ve been doing, visit: https://www.staffordshire.police.uk/news/staffordshire/news/2023/may/major-operation-to-target-serious-organised-crime-launched/