Carnforth man among seven arrested after dawn raids

The seven are currently in custody after raids at addresses in Preston, Blackpool and Carnforth.

The arrests were carried out this morning, Tuesday March 28, as part of #OpWarrior, to continue the fight against organised crime.

Also arrested were a 41-year-old man from Preston, a 36-year-old woman from Preston and two 39-year-old women from Blackpool.

All five were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply cocaine and money laundering.

Two men of no fixed abode were also arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Det Ch Insp James Edmonds, of the Serious Crime Team, said: “I hope that the continued Operation Warrior activity shows how committed we are to tackling serious and organised crime, which is a threat to communities across the county.

“It can take many forms including drug trafficking, human trafficking, illegal immigration, fraud and financial crime, counterfeiting, organised acquisitive crime, cybercrime and exploitation, all of which causes misery in our communities.

“Today during a series of raids we made seven more arrests and all seven people remain in custody while enquiries continue.

“We are committed to taking the fight to criminals and will leave no stone unturned when it comes to tackling serious crime.”

As part of Warrior, warrants and arrests are taking place on a weekly basis and a high profile advertising campaign has led to more information coming in from members of the public, leaving no place to hide for offenders.

Warrior is dedicated to bringing more offenders to justice as well as stripping them of their cash, cars, and other assets.

It targets both individuals and gangs involved in crime, as well as associated issues such as violence and intimidation, large scale drug supply, exploitation and fraud.

Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden said: “I made taking the fight to organised crime gangs a top priority in my Fighting Crime Plan and the Constabulary is now delivering it with the full force of the law, with more officers on the front line, who are putting doors in and making arrests.

"Op Warrior is the force-wide operation that is stepping up the pressure in disrupting and dismantling these gangs - and the number of raids, arrests and drug seizures speak for themselves.

“I am also pleased to see an increase in intelligence coming from local neighbourhoods to support the fight against crime since the launch of our Op Warrior media campaign.

"Organised crime gangs are a blight on society as they bring fear, violence, drugs and exploitation into Lancashire and I would encourage anyone who has any information to come forward and report it to the police or anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers.”

You can contact us by calling 101, reporting online at doitonline.lancashire.police.uk or ringing 999 in an emergency or if a crime is in progress.

Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org. Information leading to an arrest could lead to a Crimestoppers reward of up to £1,000.