Nine charged as part of investigation into industrial-scale drugs production

Nine people have been charged as part of an investigation into an industrial-scale drugs production operation, believed to be one of the largest ever seen in the UK.

Eight men and a woman were arrested on suspicion of drugs offences after officers from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) carried out early-morning raids across Merseyside on Thursday.

The force said on Friday that nine people had been charged and were due to appear at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court.

Joseph Rooney, 43, Anthony Thompson, 43, Anthony Bradley, 46, Raymond Cato, 54, and Shaun Bell, 37, all of Liverpool, were charged with conspiracy to produce class A drugs and conspiracy to supply class B drugs, a force spokesman said.

Paul Wright, 44, of no fixed address, and Stuart Thompson, 69, of Prescot, were also charged with the offences.

Carla Thompson, 50, of Huyton, was charged with permitting premises to be used to produce class B drugs and participating in activities of an organised crime group.

James Sands, 44, of Liverpool, was charged with conspiracy to produce class A drugs.

The charges follow an investigation which began two-and-a-half years ago when police in South Wales detained a Liverpool-based suspect with an estimated £1 million worth of amphetamines.

Speaking after Thursday’s raids, Inspector Danny Murphy said warrants were carried out in April 2024 on industrial premises in Bootle and Huyton – in one, a tonne of suspected heroin adulterant was found, while in the other, 550kg of what was believed to be cocaine adulterant was discovered.

At the same time as these warrants, officers searched a residential premises in St Helens where a suspected amphetamine laboratory, with 80kg of the drug, was found.

The officer said: “We think the laboratory set-ups and the industrial scale of it at the time, in 2023, was the biggest we’ve seen in the UK, so it’s a big investigation, a very detailed one.”