Almost £30m of Class A drugs seized in just 12 months by specialist Merseyside crime team
A specialist team of officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Merseyside Police has seized almost £30 million of Class A drugs in its first year of operating.
This includes 164kg of heroin with a street value of £16.4 million and 137kg of cocaine with a street value of £10,960,000. In addition £957,700 of criminal cash has been seized, together with six firearms, 30kg of amphetamine and 80kg of cannabis.
In total, the Merseyside Organised Crime Partnership (OCP) has arrested 63 suspects.
The Merseyside OCP was launched in April 2021 to tackle high-risk organised crime groups bringing drugs and firearms into Merseyside’s criminal markets and County Lines networks.
NCA Deputy Director Miles Bonfield said: “We are really proud of our partnership with Merseyside Police and the OCP’s superb results so far.
“These have been significant successes and OCP officers have performed brilliantly in getting the unit off to the best possible start.
“We want to kick on and ensure this work continues to protect the people of Merseyside from the threats of firearms and drugs.”
UK cocaine deaths in the past 12 months were at their highest-ever level, with the 2021 NCA National Strategic Assessment estimating consumption in England, Wales and Scotland at 117 tonnes a year, and the cocaine market in the UK estimated to amount to more than £25.7 million a day.
“Drugs fuel crime and violence, blight communities and heap pressure on public services partners including the National Health Service, prisons and social care services,” said the NCA.
The OCP is funded under Project Adder – Government money for targeted drugs enforcement combined with enhanced treatment and recovery services.
Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Chris Green said: “We are relentless in bringing to justice offenders involved in serious and organised crime.
“The force has had some excellent results in recent years with closing down county drug deal lines, arresting offenders and protecting the vulnerable.
“This has helped us in our partnership with the NCA and the OCP’s results show what can be achieved when law enforcement agencies combine to take on the most dangerous offenders.
“There is no hiding place for criminals in Merseyside.
“The OCP will continue to do everything it can to make our communities safer.”
The OCP is the fourth the NCA has jointly developed, with OCP teams created with the Metropolitan Police Service and Police Scotland, and the Paramilitary Crime Task Force, a partnership between the Police Service of Northern Ireland and HM Revenue and Customs.