A haul of a cutting agent that would make class B drug Amphetamine, worth around £2.5 million at street level, has been seized between Preston and Blackpool as part of a National Crime Agency investigation.

Lancashire Police officers, acting on NCA intelligence, stopped a van in the Wheeton area in Fylde on Friday, 4 December.

Advertisements

Over 620kg of the drug precursor APAA was discovered, distributed through 28 boxes.

Read more: Royal Preston Hospital to be a Covid vaccine hub site

Organised criminals would use the precursor to make Amphetamine to be trafficked around the country.

Officers arrested the driver, a 64-year-old man from Liverpool, on suspicion of producing a class B drug. He has since been released under investigation.

A second man, aged 42, from Preston, was arrested on suspicion of the same offence at Manchester Airport yesterday after arriving on a flight from Turkey. He has since been released under investigation.

Read more: Campaign group persuades Lancashire County Council to remove Tulketh Hall site from auction

NCA Operations Manager, Ian McConnell, said: “This seizure has stopped millions of pounds worth of illicit drugs making their way into the hands of criminals, who would distribute them across the UK.

“Clearly this volume of cutting agent would have produced amphetamine on an industrial scale.

“Drug trafficking thrives on inciting violence, spreading fear and exploiting vulnerable children and adults for criminal gain.

“Seizures like this damage the reputation and profits of the organised crime groups, and we will continue to target those at the top of the chain, to make their businesses unviable.”

Find crime stats in your area below

Read more: See the latest Preston news and headlines