Five arrested in fraud and money laundering raids

A suspect being led to a police van following early morning raids

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Five people have been arrested as part of an operation to target mortgage fraud and money laundering.

Police in Rochdale carried out early morning raids today (Wednesday 17 November 2010).

Rochdale Online reporter Laura Wild joined the officers on ‘Operation Florin’ to see what happened first hand.

The raids were the result of an intelligence-led operation, aimed at people buying properties with false documents and money made from criminal activities.

Warrants were executed at addresses in the Milnrow, Castleton and Cutgate areas just before 8am this morning.

Two men and three women have been arrested on suspicion of fraud and money laundering.

Officers from the Rochdale division carried out the raids with Tactical Aid Units.

Reporter Laura Wild accompanied the officers to an address in Milnrow and later saw a man and a woman arrested from a property in Castleton.

Police executed warrants on properties in Major Street, Milnrow; Hillcrest Road, Castleton; Edenfield Road, Drake Street and Ridgeway Street in Manchester.

Those in custody will be interviewed by officers from the Pennine Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) while the houses are searched.

Operation Florin was launched after officers found up to a quarter of a million pounds worth of cannabis during a raid at a house on Higher Calderbrook Road, Littleborough on 21 April 2010.

Officers then began an investigation into the ownership of that and other properties in Rochdale and Manchester.

The operation relates to nine properties across the North West totalling a market value of close to £2.5million.

It is hoped that a forfeiture order will be placed on the properties so they can’t be sold on until police investigations have finished.

Sergeant Karl Ward, from Pennine Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT), said: "Today is the culmination of months of hard work by the NPT and our financial investigator and proves that when we find drugs, our work does not stop there.

"When we found the cannabis plants, and stopped those drugs from getting on to the streets of Greater Manchester, it was a good result but we were not satisfied to let it rest there and decided to look at every aspect behind it such as the ownership of the house involved.

"We will always try to tackle drug dealers as they cause misery on a number of levels - to those using drugs, to the community that has to put up with the antisocial behaviour and intimidation that goes with it and those who suffer the burglaries and robberies that fund addictions.

"However, today shows that it can go much deeper. We are in a recession and honest residents are already struggling to make ends meet.

"Criminals who buy property with ill-gotten gains and false documents can affect house prices in the area and damage the firms they borrow from with their perilous financial position, only adding to the problems of law-abiding people who are already struggling."

Inspector Jamie Collins said: “For me this is the culmination of so much hard work by Karl Ward and his team.

“It really sends out the message that nobody is untouchable.”

The Pennine Neighbourhood Policing Team (Littleborough Lakeside, Wardle and West Littleborough, Smallbridge and Firgrove and Milnrow and Newhey) can be contacted on 0161 856 4556.

Anyone who is concerned about drug dealing and its associated criminal activity in their area should ring Greater Manchester Police on 0161 872 5050 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.