Police seized £20,000 of class A drugs, 54 electric bikes and £1,500 worth of illegal vapes during a day-long blitz across Manchester that ended with 62 people in custody.

The raids, which began at dawn on Thursday 21 November 2024, struck Openshaw, Moston and Wythenshawe after intelligence linked the areas to drug supply, weapons hoarding and robbery crews. Officers kicked in doors on Potato Wharf and Whitecliff Close, recovering stolen goods and cash they declined to quantify, while a Trading Standards team emptied a Gorton shop of black-market cigarettes.

City-centre patrols added 219 traffic offences to the charge sheet, seized 23 vehicles and arrested two drivers, while school engagement officers delivered drugs talks and weapons sweeps to pupils. A woman was helped through the ‘Ask for Angela’ safety scheme at a bar after spotting one of the high-visibility squads.

Chief Superintendent David Meeney, District Commander for the City of Manchester, said the operation was “based around issues that have been fed back from our communities, such as drug dealing and serious violence.” He added: “Our resources were deployed across the whole district and we were really grateful for the feedback we received from members of the public throughout the day.”

Local councillors joined the 7 a.m. police briefing and later walked estates with senior officers to flag fresh concerns. Operation AVRO, launched in Salford in October 2021, moves monthly to a different Greater Manchester district, flooding it with extra officers and specialists to tackle the crimes residents say plague them most.

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