11 arrested in Oldham, Rochdale, Tameside drug raids

Police have smashed a major organised crime network operating across Oldham, Rochdale and Tameside, arresting 11 people in coordinated dawn raids that netted drugs, weapons and cash. The operation, involving eight warrants across the three boroughs, targeted a suspected criminal network allegedly distributing class A drugs and firearms.

Officers from the Tameside Programme Challenger team, District Intelligence Unit and Tactical Aid Unit executed the raids in the early hours of Thursday morning, following weeks of intelligence gathering. The suspects, aged between 24 and 77, were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs, money laundering, and possession of weapons.

During searches of the properties, police seized class A drugs including crack cocaine and heroin, along with cannabis, nitrous oxide, £70,000 in cash, a zombie knife, a BB gun and four vehicles. A firearms strike was carried out at one address as part of the operation.

Chief Superintendent Shan Nasim, District Commander for Tameside, said the operation prevented drugs and weapons from reaching local streets and protected vulnerable people from exploitation. The suspects remain in custody for questioning as part of the Programme Challenger initiative to dismantle criminal networks across Greater Manchester.