Man arrested and cash, drugs and machetes seized after cops stop car in South Shields

Shortly before 8.30pm on Tuesday, February 23, officers on patrol in the Heaton Gardens area noticed an occupant of a vehicle acting suspiciously.

As the marked police car approached, the black Volvo swiftly made off in the opposite direction.

The officers followed the car towards Biddick Hall before it eventually came to a stop on Galsworthy Road.

A search of the vehicle revealed £3,000 in cash which is believed to be associated with criminality.

A 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of concealing criminal property and taken into custody – and in a search of an associated address in North Shields, police seized a further £3,000 along with drugs, two machetes and a suspected burner phone.

Northumbria Police Detective Chief Inspector Sean Mcguigan, of Northumbria Police, praised the officers for their quick thinking: “This was a fantastic result which came from PCs who saw something that didn’t look right – and took action,” he said.

“When the black Volvo swiftly made off after seeing the police car, we followed it – and it became clear that they were driving around in circles to try and lose their tail.

“Unfortunately for the occupant, the officers involved showed no interest in letting him get away and their persistence resulted in significant seizures of cash, drugs and weapons that are all believed to be associated with serious criminality.

“I’d like to thank everyone involved on this job, and under the banner of Operation Sentinel, we will continue to detect and disrupt organised crime and ensure those involved are identified, detained and brought to justice.”

He urged anyone who saw anything suspicious to get in touch: “The public remain our eyes and ears in our communities, and we’d encourage anybody who sees any suspicious activity in their neighbourhoods to report it to police.”

The arrested man has since been released under investigation.

Anyone who sees anything suspicious is asked to report it to police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of the force website or by calling 101.

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