A massive police operation to stop the supply of drugs in Cheetham Hill and Crumpsall this morning has resulted in 36 arrests.
Shortly after 6am, hundreds of police swooped on houses across north Manchester as part of Operation Cairo.
There were 40 warrants executed and 36 people have now been arrested in relation to drugs offences and drugs have also been recovered.
Superintendent Vanessa Jardine said: “Drugs make people’s lives a misery and reduce the quality of everyday life for local residents, which is why it is so important for us to remove them and act on the information the public provides us.
“The people of Cheetham Hill have told us that there is an issue of drug dealing in Cheetham Hill and Crumpsall, often in broad daylight, and we have already arrested more than 20 people prior to today’s operation.
“I hope these arrests show residents that we do listen to their concerns and we are doing something about it. But it doesn’t stop there, we will continue to act on intelligence to clean up our streets and sweep up crime by targeting these criminals and making Cheetham Hill and Crumpsall better places to live.”
In a similar operation in October, 22 people were arrested and charged for drug dealing and 19 of those are now serving prison sentences amounting to more than 60 years.
The raids are to help the local community, so the public and the media were invited along and around 100 turned out to observe the arrests being made.
There is an increased police presence in the area today as leaflets will be dropped through letterboxes to explain what is happening.
Drugs workers are also on hand to support addicts. Those seeking help for drugs abuse can speak to the drugs treatment service on 0161 253 6488.
Anyone with information about those involved in drug-related activity in their area should call police on 101, or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
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