A Merseyside gang with a taste for the high life stashed £9million of cocaine and heroin in lorries that left Holland.
They smuggled Class A drugs by hiding them inside generators and used legitimate haulage companies to cover their tracks.
Specialist police officers for the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Merseyside Police raided several homes yesterday.
They seized a number of high-value cars, including a Mercedes-Benz and Land Rovers as part of the investigation, as well as two Rolex watches and around £5,000 in cash.
Police raided homes in Wallasey, Caldy, Birkenhead and Deeside, by Merseyside Police and NCA officers, saw five men aged between 35 and 48 arrested, alongside a 35-year-old woman.
The NCA announced raids on a Merseyside based organised crime group, alleged to have been smuggling huge quantities of cocaine and heroin carefully concealed inside lorries.
The NCA said the gang used legitimate haulage companies to move generators from the UK to Belgium and The Netherlands.
These generators were then routed back to the same addresses in the UK, with cocaine and heroin concealed inside.
In March 2019, one load of Class A drugs was intercepted at Dover, while in June two loads were seized in The Netherlands.
Both seizures included cocaine and heroin, and together totalled 111 kg, worth around £9 million at street level.
Investigators suspect the group imported drugs on numerous occasions between October 2018 and June 2019.
All five men were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to import controlled drugs, conspiracy to launder money, and participating in the activities of an organised crime group.
The woman was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to import controlled drugs and money laundering.
All remain in custody for questioning and the 48-year-old man has been recalled to prison.
Ian Glover, NCA Regional Head of Investigations, said: “The NCA targets organised crime groups causing the greatest harm to the UK.
“We suspect the group was involved in an significant operation – exploiting genuine companies to import deadly drugs for distribution to crime groups throughout the country.
“By working closely with partners here and overseas, in particular the Belgian and Dutch police, we believe we have dismantled a well-established drug supply route.”
Those arrested included:
A 48-year-old man arrested at an address in Caldy, Wirral
A 40-year-old man arrested in Deeside, Wales
A 39-year-old man arrested at an address on Seaview Road, Wallasey
A 40-year-old man arrested at an address on Marlowe Road, Wallasey
A 35 year-old man arrested at an address on Latham Avenue, Wallasey
A woman, 35, arrested at an address on Cambridge Road, Birkenhead
