POLICE LAUNCH MAJOR MIDDLESBROUGH RAIDS AFTER A66 CRASH AS 17 ARRESTED IN ORGANISED CRIME CRACKDOWN

More than 100 police officers have taken part in a major crackdown on suspected organised crime and drug dealing across Middlesbrough and surrounding areas, weeks after the devastating A66 crash that killed seven people, including two police officers.

The operation, named Operation Artemis, saw officers carry out early-morning raids across Redcar, South Bank and Grangetown on Monday, September 21.

By the afternoon, Cleveland Police said four warrants had been executed and 17 people had been arrested for offences including suspected drug supply and theft of a motor vehicle.

The raids involved officers from Cleveland Police alongside support from the National Crime Agency and the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit.

DRUGS, CASH AND WEAPONS SEIZED

Police said the operation resulted in the seizure of suspected Class A and Class C drugs, cash and a number of weapons and other items.

Among the items recovered were a knife, knuckle duster, baton, illegal e-bike, electric scooter and an electric-assisted pedal cycle known as a “revvi.”

Officers also recovered what was believed to be a stolen construction tool.

At a property on Birchington Avenue in Grangetown, four people were arrested on suspicion of drug-supply offences.

The suspects included three men aged 37, 43 and 60 and a 58-year-old woman.

Police said suspected Class A drugs and cash were recovered from the address, while a dog believed to be a banned breed was also seized.

At another address on Moorbeck Way in Ormesby, officers recovered a knife, baton and knuckle duster, along with suspected Class C drugs.

CRACKDOWN FOLLOWS DEVASTATING A66 COLLISION

The large-scale operation comes after a deadly crash on the A66 near South Bank on August 22, 2026.

PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed when a Volkswagen Passat travelling against the flow of traffic collided with their marked police vehicle.

Five young men travelling in the Passat also died.

The five have been identified as Michael Cahill, Theo Rae, Cole Worthy, Jacob Matusiak and Makai Saddington.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said its initial investigation established that Cleveland Police had received intelligence about incidents linked to the Passat.

An armed response vehicle subsequently pursued the vehicle for just under seven minutes.

The Passat then entered the A66 on the wrong side of the road. Police abandoned the pursuit and continued on the correct side of the carriageway.

Approximately 10 seconds later, the Passat collided with another police vehicle that was not involved in the pursuit but was assisting officers searching for the vehicle.

All seven people died in the collision.

OPERATION ARTEMIS TARGETS SUSPECTED CRIMINAL NETWORKS

Cleveland Police said Monday’s operation was designed to disrupt suspected criminal networks and tackle wider concerns about drugs and antisocial behaviour across the area.

The force said officers were targeting properties believed to be linked to organised crime while also responding to concerns raised by local communities.

Superintendent Daryll Tomlinson, district commander for Redcar and Cleveland, said the operation demonstrated the force’s determination to target criminal activity and antisocial behaviour.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hall also urged residents to continue providing information to police.

He said community intelligence had played an important role in identifying locations and activity targeted during the operation.

PREVIOUS ARRESTS FOLLOWING THE A66 TRAGEDY

The latest raids come after Cleveland Police previously arrested 12 people as part of its investigation into criminal activity that allegedly took place before the fatal A66 collision.

On August 24, the force said nine men and three women, aged between 19 and 61, had been arrested.

The alleged offences included participating in an organised crime group, possession of offensive weapons, criminal damage, assisting an offender and drug-related offences.

Police also recovered a Volvo XC60 believed to have been involved in the events preceding the crash.

The force said both the Volvo and the Volkswagen Passat had been operating with cloned number plates, which helped them avoid detection by conventional identification systems.

POLICE HAVE NOT LINKED THE NEW ARRESTS DIRECTLY TO THE CRASH

Despite the timing of Operation Artemis, police have not said that all of the people arrested during Monday’s raids were directly connected to the A66 collision.

The latest operation is described as a wider crackdown on suspected organised crime, drug supply and antisocial behaviour in areas affected by recent violence.

The A66 investigation itself remains separate, while the IOPC continues its independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal collision and the police pursuit that preceded it.

The scale of the latest operation reflects the continuing police response to criminal activity across the area following the tragedy.

For communities in Middlesbrough, Redcar and surrounding parts of Teesside, the raids represent another major police effort to disrupt suspected criminal networks and address concerns about drugs, weapons and violence.

The investigation and legal proceedings remain ongoing, and anyone arrested remains innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.