An investigation into a ‘county line’ criminal gang has led to four men from Manchester being charged.

Following an on-going investigation in which Lancashire Police seized a ‘significant quantity’ of Class A drugs, two men were arrested on Tuesday, October 8th on Tulketh Road in Preston.

Abrah Ahmed, 23, of Kingsway, Manchester and Yasir Ali, 22, of Meade Grove, Longsight were subsequently charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs and appeared before magistrates in Preston on Wednesday, October 9th.

Following their arrest, police officers executed a series of warrants in Salford and Longsight which led to the arrest of Shavon Morrison, 21, of Claremont Road, Rusholme and Richard Mushonga, 21, of Medway Close, Stretford on Thursday, October 10th.

They were also charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs and appeared before Magistrates in Preston on Friday, October 11th.

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Holgate said: “We will continue to tackle organised crime groups responsible for the exploitation of adults and children using the county lines model across a number of force areas.

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“Our commitment to disrupting and dismantling these groups and this type of criminality alongside our partners is a priority and we will continue with these efforts to ensure we keep our communities safe."

Earlier this month, Home Secretary Priti Patel announced a series of measures to tackle ‘county lines’, a term used for drug gangs who expand operations from big cities to smaller towns.

The £20 million campaign aims to intensify law enforcement and includes further investment into the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre, which has co-ordinated action leading to over 1,800 arrests and the safeguarding of over 2,400 vulnerable people since becoming fully operational in September.

DCI Holgate added: “Intelligence from members of the public is key in operations like this and I would appeal to anyone who has information that could assist, whether that be concerns around children, premises that are being used by such groups or indeed information about those responsible to come forward.”

All four defendants have been remanded in custody and will appear at Preston Crown Court at a further date.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call 101.