Lancashire Police seize £250k in cash and return stolen vehicles to their owners

£250,000 seized
Stolen vehicles located and returned to their rightful owners
Anti-social drivers stopped and dealt with
Arrests for all of the above and more
It’s fair to say it’s been a busy few days for our teams out and about on the roads of Lancashire! So we thought we’d share a bit of what they’ve been up to  

An arrest was made shortly after 11am on Friday (March 17th), after patrols signalled for a car to stop on the M6. The vehicle stopped on the A59 and was searched, and a quantity of gold, silver and cash (pictured) was found, valued at around £200,000. This was seized along with the car. A 52-year-old man from Frizington was arrested on suspicion of money laundering and has since been released under investigation. The incident has been handed to our Economic Crime Unit to progress.

Two further arrests were made after it was reported a car had been stolen from outside an address in the Brookhouse area of Blackburn at around 2am on Saturday morning (March 18th). Patrols quickly made to the area and the car was spotted heading towards the Ribble Valley and then back towards Blackburn. It was located a short time later, abandoned, on Boland Street. Two men, aged 26 and 27 and both from Blackburn, were pursued on foot and were arrested on nearby Railway Grove on suspicion of taking a motor vehicle without consent. They have both since been bailed, pending further enquiries, until June 18th.

 A further arrest was made at around 3pm on Saturday, just off the M6 close to Lancaster. Officers stopped and searched a car and found a bag hidden in the footwell containing around £50,000 in cash. A 24-year-old man from West Bromwich was arrested on suspicion of money laundering. He has since been bailed, pending further enquiries, until June 18th.

Several reports came in at around 12.45pm yesterday (Sunday) from exasperated residents, reporting a Jeep Cherokee being driven dangerously by two people in balaclavas in the Stevenson Street East area of Accrington. It was reported the vehicle had collided with a stationery car and had almost collided with several pedestrians, and was causing noise nuisance. Patrols made to the area and the vehicle was quickly located on Willows Lane. 

Two men inside the vehicle decamped on foot, but were pursued and detained moments later. A large amount of cash and drugs were found in the car, while the vehicle was found to be stolen and being driven on cloned plates. A 29-year-old man from Accrington was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and possession with intent to supply class A drugs, while a 28-year-old man from Accrington was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving. Both remain in custody.

 A man was arrested and another stolen vehicle was recovered after patrols in Colne spotted it at around 11.15pm last night (Sunday). It was stopped while making its way from the A56 onto the M66. The driver was arrested and the car has been returned to its rightful owner in Bradford.

This is just a snapshot of incidents from the last few days, but we hope it gives you an idea of the kind of work our teams are out and about doing all the time to keep Lancashire’s roads safe  
If you have information about criminality on Lancashire’s roads, please report it on 101 or call 999 in an emergency. You can also contact independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org.