Police Seize Converted Firearm and Drug Supply Items in Oldham Raid

Detectives stormed a Hardy Street property in Oldham at 5 am Thursday after monitoring a social media-based drug line as part of an ongoing investigation. Specialist units forced entry into the residential address where officers recovered multiple items linked to drug supply and discovered a converted Turkish-manufactured Top Venting Blank Firers (TVBF) firearm on the exterior grounds.

The seized weapon falls under a national amnesty requiring owners to surrender TVBF firearms to police stations by February’s end. Evidence gathered at the scene directed officers to a second location on Oldham Road in Failsworth, where additional items used to manufacture and distribute Class B drugs were confiscated.

A 19-year-old man now faces custody on suspicion of possessing articles for Class B drug supply, criminal property possession, and holding readily convertible imitation firearms. “Today’s activity demonstrates how we are continuing to disrupt and dismantle drug lines running in and out of Greater Manchester,” stated Detective Sergeant John Schofield of GMP’s County Lines team.

Schofield emphasized the exploitation of vulnerable individuals through digital distribution channels: “We know these criminal networks exploit and abuse vulnerable people for their criminal gains and when digital forms of distribution are used, such as social media, they’re widening their access to vulnerable people.” The recovered firearm, he noted, “is an indication of the risk this activity poses to the victims within the network, as well as the wider community,” warning that post-amnesty TVBF possession carries potential 10-year prison sentences.

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