Sniffing out the drug dealers
Reporter: JENNIFER HOLLAMBY
Date published: 31 August 2009
Sniffing out criminals . . . cash and drugs dogs uncovered a haul of Class A drugs in this Subaru Impreza
Police dogs pounce
POLICE uncovered a stash of heroin and crack cocaine during a crime blitz in Werneth on Friday.
The haul was discovered in the roof lining of a car during Operation Tornado, a Greater Manchester-wide crackdown on car thieves and motorists driving without insurance and tax.
Officers — complete with specially-trained sniffer dogs — parked along specific routes using automatic number plate recognition technology to identify suspicious vehicles.
As well as discovering the Class A stash and charging the driver with possession of drugs with intent to supply, police also seized five cars with no insurance.
Inspector Chris Gloster, who headed the operation, said: “Class A drugs are a root cause of burglary so this was an excellent result for us.”
“The drugs dog is returning incredible results, identifying hidden drugs and cash in vehicles which we would be unable to find without an in-depth search.
“It’s amazing where people hide drugs — I’m glad it’s the dogs’ job to look.”
Friday’s crackdown builds on the work of Operation Tornado across Greater Manchester, which targets notorious crime hotspots.In the last four months alone, Operation Tornado has resulted in the arrests of more than 90 criminals across Greater Manchester.
Officers have also seized nearly 100 illegally-driven cars and recovered 30 more stolen ones.
Inspector Gloster added: “Those who are driving without tax or insurance are often involved in other forms of criminal activity.”
Chief inspector Rob Tinsley said: "We have pledged to leave no stone unturned in the fight to bring burglars to justice.
“Operation Tornado is a great tool for us because it allows us to lock down an area and target those who might be coming in and out of a town to commit crime."
Anyone who wants to report a crime can call the police on 0161-872 5050 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800-555 111.
