Wigan police arrest suspected drug dealer during routine patrol

A team comprised of a specialised front-facing function of an inspector, two sergeants and 10 officers, used a mix of covert and high-visibility tactics to tackle offenders in the act.

This is reinforced with a back-office function of more officers and analysts to ensure they are deployed in the right place at the right time.

After conducting a routine patrol of a key hotspot, a 42-year-old man was stop searched on Battersby Street and subsequently arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

He has since been bailed under conditions pending further inquiries.

This is after officers deemed he was acting suspiciously in Ince and believed to be dealing drugs.

As they approached the suspect he made off from the scene before being detained nearby after trying to swallow drugs.

Officers recovered the package which contained over 100 wraps of what is suspected to be cocaine and heroin.

A further house search was conducted due to intelligence, uncovering a large hunting knife believed to be linked to the suspect which was removed from the address and seized.

Sgt Paul Heap of GMP’s Operation Venture team said: “This is another perfect of example of our day-to-day work to keep communities safe and catch offenders in the act.

“A positive result has removed another suspected drug dealer from the streets and inquiries are ongoing regarding this investigation to ensure we can bring justice.

“Operation Venture was setup to ensure we could embed ourselves within areas of Greater Manchester to enable us to respond quickly and effectively and hopefully this arrest gives confidence to the local area that we are monitoring what is going on and will act appropriately when needed.”