4 from Merseyside and Cheshire arrested in 'biggest ever' drugs bust
The men from St Helens and Warrington are among 13 detained after police uncovered 50 tonnes of drugs hidden in veg lorries.
Suspected members of an international organised crime group responsible for importing in excess of 50 tonnes of drugs worth billions of pounds into the UK from the Netherlands have been arrested as part of a National Crime Agency investigation.
Thirteen men, aged between 24 and 59, were apprehended during dawn raids this morning in St Helens, Warrington, Manchester, Stockport, Bolton, London, Dewsbury, and Leeds.
They are believed to be part of the UK arm of a well-established organised crime group that used Dutch and British front companies to import heroin, cocaine and cannabis – stashed in lorry loads of vegetables and juice – through UK ports over an 18-month period.
Four men and two women from the Netherlands were also arrested in April 2019 by the Dutch National Police on European Arrest Warrants. They are currently awaiting extradition to the UK.
Jayne Lloyd, NCA Regional Head of Investigations, said: “The NCA targets organised crime groups causing the greatest harm to the UK.
“Stopping criminals who don’t care about the damage they are causing in communities, and the children being exploited by County Lines drug dealing, is an absolute priority.
“We suspect these men were involved in an industrial-scale operation – the biggest ever uncovered in the UK – bringing in tonnes of deadly drugs that were distributed to crime groups throughout the country.
“By working closely with partners here and overseas, in particular the Dutch National Police, we believe we have dismantled a well-established drug supply route.”
Europol, Eurojust, Police of Finland National Bureau of Investigation, Border Force, HMRC and numerous police forces have also supported the NCA with the investigation.
The full extent of the drug trafficking operation the NCA allege these men were involved in was uncovered following the interception of three consignments in September 2018. They contained 351 kilos of cocaine, 92 kilos of heroin, 250 kilos of cannabis and 1,850 kilos of hemp/hashish, with a total street value of more than £38 million.
Subsequent enquiries led officers to believe they had imported drugs on numerous occasions between February 2017 and October 2018.
This investigation linked to an NCA operation, where 13 individuals were jailed for a total of 176 years, after the seizure of more than 100kg of heroin in 2015
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