Army bomb experts were scrambled after a suspicious substance was discovered during raids targeting suspects in a Dark Web drugs gang probe.
An explosives disposal unit was called to St Mary’s Road in Garston, which was cordoned off by Merseyside Police.
The force said the move was prompted by the discovery of material that required “further examination”.
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Police were said to have maintained a presence on St Mary’s Road for most of Thursday before the street was closed off this afternoon.
Side streets were also blocked while shopkeepers whose businesses fell within the cordon were ordered not to leave their properties.
Officers from Merseyside Police’s specialist anti-gun and gang crime Matrix unit were present at the scene, along with soldiers from the Royal Logistics Corps’ Explosive Ordnance Disposal team.
A soldier could be seen in the doorway of the building that includes Upper Cutz hairdressers, on the junction of McBride Street.
In a statement released to the ECHO, Merseyside Police explained: “Officers assisted the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) with the execution of a warrant on the road this morning as part of an investigation into the supply of drugs.
“During a search of the property, a substance was identified which requires further examination and Explosive Ordnance Disposal have been called to assist with its safe disposal.”
The NWROCU confirmed it had carried out raids across Liverpool and Wirral on Thursday morning as part of an investigation into the supply of drugs over the internet.
The unit’s specialist “Dark Web Team” - which concentrates on shadowy online activity - was involved as six warrants were executed in the operation.
Three people were arrested - including a 42-year-old from Garston, though the location of that arrest was not confirmed.
That suspect, a 44-year-old from Aigburth and a 41-year-old from Moreton were taken to a police station for questioning on suspicion of the supply of Class B and Class C drugs.
The NWROCU said “a significant amount of Class B and C drugs, cash and other drug paraphernalia” was seized and that searches remained ongoing well into the afternoon.
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