Nineteen people have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs after police raided 21 properties across Greater Manchester, including two in Wigan, as first reported by Wigan Today.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said the raids took place at the same time at 6am on Tuesday 3 November 2026. Fourteen men and five women were arrested and remain in custody for questioning. No one has been charged.

What police say they found

The operation involved officers from GMP, including its serious organised crime group and tactical aid unit, together with the North West Regional Crime Unit.

The warrants followed an investigation over recent months into a drugs line that police say has been operating since October 2020. Officers believe at least 4.2kg of class A drugs have been moved through it.

At a property in Farnworth, Bolton, police said they found a significant amount of class A drugs, believed to be crack cocaine, heroin and cannabis. Weighing scales, a cannabis grinder and plastic bags were also recovered.

At another address, officers recovered 30 wraps of what is believed to be cocaine from a vehicle suspected of being linked to one of the drug line couriers.

Police comment

Det Insp Richard McCorry, of GMP’s serious organised crime group, said the raids were “another significant step” in efforts to disrupt organised crime groups involved in supplying class A and B drugs across the region.

He said police believed the line had been “responsible for distributing substantial quantities of class A drugs into our communities” and that the arrests had targeted people suspected of playing key roles in the alleged conspiracy.

He added that drugs fuel violence and exploitation and often sit at the heart of wider organised criminal activity. The investigation is continuing, he said.

Background

Cannabis is a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, while crack cocaine, heroin and cocaine are Class A. Conspiracy to supply controlled drugs is a criminal offence. Those arrested have not been charged, and police have not named anyone or said when decisions on charges might be made.