Defendants involved in organised crime in Lancashire have been sentenced to more than 600 years in prison since the launch of a major police operation.

Operation Warrior was launched in November 2022, and in the 12 months to December 2023, arrests of gang suspects have risen by 35 per cent, cash seizures have gone up by 103 per cent and the amount of class A and B drugs has risen by a whopping 200 per cent.

Jail sentences for criminals involved in such illegal activity have also risen, with 608 years and five months in prison handed down to crime gangs in 2023, compared to 485 years in 2022.

Police also seized £1,347,298 between January 2022 and December 2023, equating to £25,909 per week.

Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden praised Lancashire Police for their success in fighting organised crime through Operation Warrior, which aims to disrupt and dismantle organised crime across the county.

Since the launch of the Operation Warrior in November 2022: 

  • Arrests of crime gang suspects have gone up by 35 per cent
  • Cash seizures from organised crime gangs have gone up by 103 per cent
  • Jail time for organised crime gang members have gone up by 25 per cent
  • The number of cannabis plants seized have gone up by 250 per cent
  • The amount of class A and B drugs seized is up by 200 per cent

Mr Snowden said: "It is fantastic to see the continuous results delivered by Operation Warrior, week in week out.

“I want Lancashire residents to know that we are tackling organised crime at full force and that Lancashire Police will act on information from the public to drive criminals out of our county.

"Thanks to the hard work of our officers, we are seeing more crime gang members arrested, huge quantities of drugs taken off our streets and we are hitting criminals where it hurts by seizing their cash and assets which they gained through criminality, and we are investing that money back into local communities.

"Having joined officers on multiple raids over the years, it is always fantastic to see their hard work pay off and to see these criminals put behind bars where they belong."

Supt Graham Hill, head of serious crime at Lancashire Police, said: “Operation Warrior is about tackling serious and organised crime, protecting vulnerable people and making sure OCGs get the message that Lancashire is not a safe haven for them to operate in.

“Over the past 12 months we have dismantled a number of OCGs in the county, put their members behind bars and taken their cash off them.

"The latest arrests should send a clear message that this pro-active policing will continue.

"Anybody looking to engage in illegal activity in our county should expect to see police officers at their door.”

In the latest Operation Warrior success story for police, four gang members who conspired to flood the streets of Blackburn and Darwen with heroin and crack cocaine were jailed for a total of 18 years and three months.

READ MORE: East Lancashire men sold class A drugs totalling £30,000

Operation Warrior targets both individuals and gangs involved in crime, as well as associated issues such as violence and intimidation, large scale drug supply, exploitation and fraud, all of which can cause serious harm to local communities.

Anyone with information about organised crime can contact Lancashire Constabulary on 101 or report anonymously to independent charity CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111.

Information leading to an arrest could lead to a reward of up to £1,000.