A drugs and rape gang from Preston and Cumbria are due to appear in court.

Six men were arrested during dawn raids on Wednesday (27 March) in Longridge, Ashton-on-Ribble, Ribbleton, Fishwick and Penwortham.

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Preston Police said the six have now been charged with a range of drugs and sexual offences – some of them relating to the alleged rape of teenage girls.

The raids were carried out following information about an organised crime gang operating across the city.

The six men and their charges are:

Mark Anderson, 29, Bay View Grove, Barrow in Furness. Charged with 3 counts of Conspiracy to Supply Class A drugs, two counts of Conspiracy to Supply Class B, one count of raping a girl aged 13/14/15, one count of raping a woman over 16 and one count of abstracting/using electricity.

Ben Thompson, 32, Ash Grove, Preston. Charged with 3 counts of Conspiracy to Supply Class A drugs, two counts of Conspiracy to Supply Class B, one count of raping a girl aged 13/14/15, one count of raping a woman over 16 and one count of abstracting/using electricity.

Joseph Duerdon, 20, Mill Court, Longridge. Charged with 3 counts of Conspiracy to Supply Class A drugs, two counts of Conspiracy to Supply Class B, and one count of abstracting/using electricity.

Thomas Worgan, 26, Walton Avenue, Penwortham. Charged with Conspiracy to Supply a Class B drug and abstracting/using electricity.

Alex Macneil, 18, of The Green, Preston. Charged with one count of Conspiracy to Supply a Class A drug and one count of Conspiracy to Supply a Class B drug and one count of rape of a woman over 16.

Jordan Byrne, 19, of Raglan Street, Preston. Charged with three counts of Conspiracy to Supply a Class A drug, two counts of Conspiracy to supply a Class B drug and possession of a weapon for the discharge of a noxious liquid/gas/electrical incapacitation device.

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