Officers attended three addresses in the town this morning - Canon Street, Halifax Road and Colley Street - where they also seized around £40,000 in cash, £30,000 of class A drugs and two replica weapons, a gas-powered Glock pistol and a sawn-off shotgun.
Four men and a women - aged from 20 to 42 - remain in custody for questioning on suspicion of Conspiracy to Supply Class A drugs.
Detective Inspector Zoe MacDonald, from GMP’s County Lines Team, said: "Simultaneous warrants were conducted at three addresses by the County Lines Team, TAU, Rochdale Challenger and Rochdale Proactive Unit as part of ongoing investigation into a dedicated county line in the Rochdale area.
“County lines encompasses a wide range of threats that brings with it the exploitation of vulnerable people and children and also serious risk and harm to those involved in and associated with organised crime groups.
"Today's warrants show GMP is committed to tacking county lines and its associated crimes, and that people operating in these circles will be arrested.
“We will act decisively where necessary and information from the public is vital to build up a full picture so we can take these lines apart.
“Anyone with information or concerns about drug dealing - or any other criminality - should always contact police. Information can be reported online or by using the LiveChat function at www.gmp.police.uk.
“If you can't report online, call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Always call 999 in an emergency.”
County Lines is where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, often across police and local authority boundaries (although not exclusively), usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs.
Find out more at the National Crime Agency website - County Lines - National Crime Agency
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