Rochdale man arrested after botched drug sting

A Rochdale man has been arrested for his role as part of a gang that stole 80kgs of flour, believing it to be cocaine.

Police had planted the flour in barrels after seizing the actual drugs and set up a sting to catch the criminals as they recovered their cargo.

But when nightfall came officers from the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) left the distribution warehouse that they were watching in Trafford Park, Manchester, leaving the gang to break in, assault two security guards and make off with the barrels, that they believed still contained cocaine with a street value of £3.2 million.

A raid at a house in Rochdale and at other properties across Greater Manchester resulted in eight arrests.

The cocaine had originally been deported from Spain hidden inside large metal drill kegs.

Steve Baldwin, SOCA’s head of investigations in the North West, said: “We have been able to prevent the serious and detrimental effect these drugs would have had on local communities if they had hit the streets.”