Dawn raids in Preston see arrests for drug and money laundering offences

Blue light from a police car Pic: South Ribble Police — Pic: South Ribble Police

Several people have been arrested in a series of dawn raids in Preston.

The latest Operation Warrior strike against organised crime in Lancashire saw warrants executed at addresses in the city.

Six people were arrested on suspicion of Conspiracy to Supply a Class A controlled drug and money laundering, including a man aged 34 from Leyland, a man aged 61 from Preston, a woman aged 26 from Preston, and a man aged 35 from Preston.

They all remain in custody.

Operation Warrior targets both individuals and gangs involved in crime, as well as associated issues such as violence and intimidation, large scale drug supply, exploitation, and fraud, all of which can cause serious harm to local communities.

In the last four months, Op Warrior has led to almost 300 arrests, close to 100 charges, more than 20 cash seizures and over 60 years imprisonment for offenders.

Det Chief Insp James Edmonds said: “We are committed to tackling serious and organised crime, which is a threat to communities across the country. It takes many forms including drug trafficking, human trafficking, illegal immigration, fraud and financial crime, counterfeiting, organised acquisitive crime, cybercrime, and exploitation.

“Here in Lancashire, we’re taking a very proactive approach to tackling the issue. Every week we’re arresting an average of 17 people for organised crime and each month we’re seizing over £55,000 of cash along with other assets like drugs and cash.

“We’re making sure this message is getting out to local communities and as a result, we’re starting to see an increase in intelligence coming into us. This is great because it provides more opportunity to target offenders and more chance of them being caught.

“We are focussing on a significant amount of activity across the county and Operation Warrior is helping to ensure the net is closing in on organised crime in Lancashire.”

Det Chief Insp Edmonds appealed for the public’s continued support, saying: “Nobody knows their local communities better than the people who live here. I would appeal for anyone with any suspicions to contact us or to call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously. Even the tiniest bit of information might be the final piece of evidence we need to act.”

Anyone coming forward with information leading to an arrest could receive a reward of up to £1,000.

Organised crime includes:

Trafficking: A sign that it is occurring could be a house being used by a large group of people or people calling at the house at all times of the day.
Drugs supply: This often involves exploitation of the vulnerable and violence in local communities.
Cyber-crime: Fraudulent emails or phishing scams with the aim of getting personal details are often distributed by organised crime groups.
Businesses crime: This can range from ‘chop shops’ dismantling stolen cars for spare parts to businesses being used for money laundering.