GMP County Lines Team make significant arrests after early morning raid to tackle drug supply and cuckooing in Bolton
Greater Manchester Police's County Lines Team conducted an early morning raid in Bolton, arresting four individuals suspected of drug-related offenses, including the alleged head of a drugs line. A vulnerable adult, suspected to be a victim of cuckooing, was also safeguarded. Large quantities of drugs, cash, and weapons were seized. The team has made significant progress in combating drug crime since September 2022, including numerous arrests, drug seizures, and lengthy prison sentences.
Four people face drug charges after specialist officers stormed two apartments on Avenue Street in Bolton Thursday morning, dismantling what police describe as an active county lines operation.
The 6 March raid began when officers from the County Lines Team, backed by Bolton neighbourhood police, arrested a 45-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman at the first address for suspected possession with intent to supply. Minutes later, they swept through a second flat in the same building, capturing a 23-year-old man believed to run the drugs line and a 24-year-old man found with class A drugs and an offensive weapon.
Inside the second apartment, officers discovered a vulnerable adult they suspect had been “cuckooed” - a tactic where criminals take over a person’s home to use as a base for dealing and storing drugs. The individual has been removed to safety and multi-agency safeguarding procedures are now underway.
The search yielded large quantities of drugs, cash and machetes. Detective Inspector Zoe Macdonald said: “This morning’s activity has garnered significant results for the force, not only have we been able to arrest a man who we believe to be a key player in this drugs line, but most importantly, we’ve been able to safeguard a vulnerable adult who was being exploited.”
Since September 2022, Greater Manchester’s County Lines Team has executed around 140 warrants, arrested approximately 366 people, seized over 100kg of class A and B drugs and shut down 397 county lines, securing prison sentences totalling more than 750 years.
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