Police smash suspected Fylde coast drugs gang

Police raided 10 addresses in Blackpool, Kirkham and Manchester as part of 'Operation Jennet'.

Seven men and one woman were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply dangerous Class A drugs to the Fylde coast.

Detective chief inspector Becky Smith, of Lancashire Police, said: “Today's operation is Lancashire Police’s commitment to tackling organised crime groups working in the county and in particular, on the Fylde coast.

“These arrests send out a clear message to those involved in organised crime. Organised crime, including the production and supply of drugs, the violence which controls this market and how it impacts on vulnerable people, blights our communities and puts ordinary law-abiding people at risk.

“I would like to reassure the public we will keep up the pressure on those involved in serious and organised crime in Lancashire, continually striving to protect the most vulnerable. We will relentlessly pursue these offenders and put them before the courts to make our streets safer.”

Clive Grunshaw, Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner added: “Operations such as this highlight the action officers in Lancashire continue to take against drug related and organised crime. A lot of the work being done often goes unseen, but it is happening and information from the public plays a vital role in supporting our officers' hard work to make Lancashire a safer place.

“The range of specialist officers and different policing teams involved in operations like this shows that officers have the skills, resources and determination to stop criminal gangs, with frontline policing much more than just the traditional bobby on the beat.

“Developing safe and confident communities is a key priority under my police and crime plan and tackling those who put drugs onto our streets is an important part of the work being done here in Lancashire to make our streets safer.”

Five men, aged 30, 29, 37, 28 and 27, and one woman, 21, from Blackpool, a 28-year-old man from Kirkham, and a 32-year-old man from Manchester were all arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply.

They remain in police custody.