'Zero tolerance' - Police smash Tyneside pill-making operation with quadruple drug arrest

An illegal Tyneside drug-making operation has been smashed by police, with four men now set to face the courts for their part in the scheme.

Northumbria Police seized a pill-pressing machine capable of producing millions of fake tablets on an industrial scale in last week’s raids.

On April 25, police conducted an operation at a business premises in the Bowburn area of County Durham as part of an ongoing investigation. Entry was forced into a storage unit on the site, and hundreds of thousands of tablets were discovered which have since been confirmed as Class C drugs, predominantly Bromazolam.

Two men were arrested as an illicit pill-pressing scheme was uncovered along with numerous pieces of equipment to mix the drugs, make pills and package them into blister packets.

A secondary storage site was located in the Birtley area of Gateshead where thousands more tablets were found. A further two men were arrested, and the overall operation is believed to be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The four males aged between 23 to 52 were subsequently charged with being concerned in the production and supply of Class C drugs, and are due to appear at Newcastle Crown Court later this month.

Detective Chief Inspector Marc Michael, of Northumbria Police, said: “This operation involved staff from across the organisation who showed great teamwork to uncover and dismantle an operation of this scale.

“The tablets have been confirmed as Class C drugs which can cause serious harm to anybody who abuses them.

“Criminals involved in this illegal trade profit from the addiction and desperation of some of the most vulnerable members of our communities.

“Under the banner of Operation Sentinel, we have zero tolerance for drug-related criminality and will use every tool and our disposal to disrupt criminal organisations and pursue offenders.”

The expensive machinery used in the production process has been seized along with the vast quantity of tablets.