Cocaine and £20k seized in dawn drug raids

Houses were raided in Rochdale and Lancashire, police say

Cocaine and about £20,000 in cash have been seized by police in dawn drug raids.

Detectives from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) raided 11 properties across Rochdale and Lancashire.

Eight people, aged between 27 and 56, have been arrested on conspiracy to supply drugs and remain in custody.

GMP said it had also carried out several warrants at suspected "stash houses", seizing mobile phones, cocaine and cannabis.

The raids were carried out on Wednesday and are part of GMP's ongoing investigations into the criminal use of encrypted mobile phones.

'Criminal networks'

Officers have been working their way through "hundreds and thousands" of messages from Encrochat, the encrypted messaging platform which was hacked by French and Dutch police in 2020, it added.

Det Sgt Rich McCorry said: “The ability for criminals to benefit from the proceeds of drugs is a key driver for organised crime, and we have specialist detectives working tirelessly to eliminate the key players from criminal networks across the region.

“This action is a result of months of hard work by detectives whose proactive investigations into the drugs trade in Manchester has led them through these doors."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [e-mail]