Six men arrested in Rochdale child exploitation investigation

Officers from Rochdale’s Challenger organised crime team arrested six people

Six men have been arrested on drug and modern slavery offences as part of an ongoing investigation into child criminal exploitation in Rochdale.

Eight warrants were carried out on Wednesday morning (24 April) in response to safeguarding concerns after a teenage boy was identified by police as ‘being exploited and coerced into drug dealing by a suspected local gang’.

As the investigation developed, further victims were identified, including a vulnerable adult whose house was being cuckooed and used as a stash house for the gang.

The six men, aged 18-26, have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs and modern slavery offences.

£30,000 cash has been seized along with cannabis and drugs paraphernalia.

Sergeant Mark Lutkevitch, of the Rochdale Challenger team, said: “Exploitation, coercion, and violence are the foundations of modern slavery and drugs trafficking, and gangs will often exploit the vulnerable to further their profits.

“Our arrests this morning are part of a longstanding investigation into several organised crime groups operating across Rochdale that we strongly believe are involved in the exploitation of young people.

“Young people and vulnerable adults will be threatened as the criminals exert control, which is why tackling exploitation is a high priority for us. We have specialist officers working with young people in our communities to tackle the vicious cycle of gang recruitment, and teams of officers on the frontline pursuing offenders.

“Our communities are key in helping us be one step ahead of the criminals. By being our eyes and our ears and finding the courage to report what is taking place in your area only strengthens our relentless pursuit of organised crime and could make a real difference for a child.

“I want to encourage communities to trust their instinct. If something doesn’t feel right; report it. If you think somebody is being exploited, or you think a house might have been taken over by drug dealers, feed that information to us. If you want to remain anonymous, report it through Crimestoppers, and we will act.”

Information can be shared by calling 101. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Always call 999 in an emergency.