'Massive spike' in dealers delivering drugs via the post

CRIMINALS are using international postal services and courier companies to deliver drugs across Greater Manchester.

- NEAL KEELING

But police say they are disrupting the racket with multiple arrests and seizures of drugs and cash.

Mainly cannabis, but also cocaine, and prescription drugs are being sent from North America, Europe, and China to addresses in the region.

The contraband is often secreted inside legitimate products like tools, even empty bottles of Prime drink.

As crooks try to reduce the risk of being caught by using parcel deliveries instead of street dealing the number of packages intercepted heading for Greater Manchester has risen from 1,500 to 4,500 in a year.

GMP have made more 53 arrests since they launched Operation Concept the Serious Organised Crime Group (SOCG).

This is in relation to the interception by UK Border Force of 20kgs of cocaine, 643kgs of cannabis, 11kgs of crystal meth, and 1kg of amphetamine destined for Greater Manchester.

Upon making the arrests and executing dozens of warrants the SOCG have recovered more than £647,000 in cash, 81kg of cannabis, a kilo of ketamine, a kilo of MDMA, and half a kilo of cocaine, as well as a number of air weapons.

Detective Superintendent Joe Harrop said: "Operation Concept is GMP's approach to deal with an emerging threat in terms of volume.

"In essence it is people at various levels of criminality individuals purchasing for personal use, up to organised crime groups, who from various countries are having parcels posted to the UK with a criminal commodity inside, which includes drugs, dangerous weapons, and parts for firearms.

"In 97 per cent of intercepted parcels it is drugs, and predominantly it is cannabis.