KILLER drugs destined for the streets of Bury have been seized by police.

A cardboard box holding the drugs, with a minimum street value of £125,000, was found on a corner in Bolton Street, Bury, on Friday afternoon (Feb 21).

The haul of 5,000 ecstasy tablets and five one-kilogram packs of amphetamine paste is one of the biggest ever to be discovered in the borough.

Police believe the box had been left in Bolton Street ready for collection by a dealer. But it was spotted by a member of the public who contacted police.

Forensic tests are being carried out on the amphetamine paste to establish its purity: the higher the purity, the greater the street value.

Police have hailed the find as a major breakthrough in the fight against drugs in Bury.

Sergeant Myles Flynn, Bury's drug liaison officer, said: "In my 20 years as a police officer I have never seen such a large quantity of dance-craze drugs discovered anywhere, let alone in Bury.

"Whoever was supposed to collect these drugs from Bolton Street must have had a really sleepless weekend.

"A vigilant member of the public alerted us to this suspicious package and he has helped save many lives."

Police are now keen to hear from witnesses who saw anyone drop off the box along Bolton Street moments before they were discovered.

The head of Bury CID, Detective Chief Inspector Frank Raggett, added: "I have no doubt that these drugs were headed for the streets of Bury and would have earned a dealer a vast amount of money. The drugs will now be destroyed.

"We can take these drugs off the streets but we need to get rid of the makers and dealers as well before we can combat this problem."

"I would urge anyone with information about the owners of these drugs to ring us immediately, to call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 and held save lives."