Two arrests and hundreds of cannabis plants seized in crackdown on organised crime

Two men have been arrested and hundreds of cannabis plants seized by officers targeting organised crime in Manchester.

On Wednesday evening (June 2) at 9:30pm, officers from the City of Manchester North Organised Crime Disruption Team, working alongside local district teams, stopped a vehicle travelling on Fernclough Road in Harpurhey.

They conducted a search of the driver and the vehicle, and recovered a large quantity of cash, an extendable baton, and a kitchen knife.

A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of Money Laundering, Possession of an Offensive Weapon and a Bladed Article.

Following the arrest, a Section 18 search (a search of a premises for evidence following an arrest under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act) was carried out at an address on Parkville Road in Prestwich at 8am yesterday morning.

There, officers uncovered a large scale cannabis farm, and seized between 200-300 cannabis plants.

A 24-year-old man was subsequently arrested on suspicion of the production of cannabis.

Both men arrested remain in custody for questioning.

Detective Inspector Paul Crompton of GMP's Intelligence Development Team said: "This is an excellent result in GMP's fight to tackle the scourge of organised crime in our city, and takes a substantial amount of drugs off our streets.

"Cannabis farms are well known to by funding organised criminality, and the City of Manchester North Organised Crime Disruption Team, working in partnership with the Districts, will take every opportunity to disrupt their activities across the region.

"GMP often relies on intelligence supplied to them by members of the public."

If you see anything suspicious, police encourage you to report it.

You can contact Police via the LiveChat on the website: www.gmp.police.uk or call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

"If you say something, we can do something," added DI Crompton.

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