Ten men arrested following drug raids this morning

Ten men have been arrested in raids as part of an operation to crackdown on drug dealing in Rochdale

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Ten men have been arrested in raids as part of an operation to crackdown on drug dealing in Rochdale.

They were arrested when officers from Greater Manchester Police raided nine addresses just after 6am today, Wednesday 2 April 2014.

Officers from Rochdale’s neighbourhood policing teams launched the operation, codenamed Operation Rakanda, as their response to concerns the community had that street drug dealing was a problem.

This operation forms part of Operation Challenger, which is the Force’s strategy for tackling organised crime groups across Greater Manchester.

These arrests came after months of investigations by officers from the Rochdale division and Serious Crime Division into the distribution of cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin.

In the raids this morning, ten men were arrested on suspicion of drugs offences, after officers executed warrants across Rochdale and Rawtenstall.

More than 70 officers were involved in the raids and included officers from the neighbourhood policing teams, Serious Crime Division, tactical aid units and officers from the National Crime Agency.

Extra officers from Rochdale's Neighbourhood Policing Teams will be patrolling the area from today and the next few days to provide a visible presence and reassurance to the community.

A multi-agency plan is now in place for the area to ensure support for drug users and to prevent any further offending in the area.

Superintendent Alistair Mallen for Rochdale Division, said: “Today shows that the desire to rid our communities of the blight of drugs is continuous and we will go back and keep tackling the issue in the same area as many times as necessary until the problem is dealt with.

“This operation has taken months of intricate planning and dedication by a large team of officers from across the Force.

“Communities have told us that they want drugs and drug dealing tackled across the borough and I hope that today’s action highlights how seriously we take these crimes.

“It also sends a message out that we will not let people profit from spreading their misery in our neighbourhoods and we will continue to use all the powers and resources available to put people before the courts.”