A66 TRAGEDY: 130 OFFICERS FLOOD TEESSIDE AS 20 ARRESTED IN MAJOR ORGANISED CRIME CRACKDOWN

MORE THAN 130 POLICE OFFICERS HAVE DESCENDED ON TEESSIDE IN A MAJOR OPERATION FOLLOWING THE DEADLY A66 CRASH THAT CLAIMED SEVEN LIVES, INCLUDING TWO SERVING POLICE OFFICERS.

A huge police operation has resulted in 20 arrests and seven people being charged, weeks after the devastating A66 collision that killed seven people.

More than 130 officers from Cleveland Police, forces across the country, the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit and the National Crime Agency took part in the operation across South Bank, Grangetown and Eston on Monday, September 21.

Police said the operation was aimed at tackling serious and organised criminal activity in the area.

Importantly, six of those arrested were connected to events that occurred before the fatal A66 collision, according to Cleveland Police.

20 PEOPLE ARRESTED IN ONE DAY

Officers carried out coordinated raids at multiple addresses as part of Operation Artemis.

By the end of the day, 17 men and three women had been arrested.

The suspects were detained in connection with a range of allegations, including organised crime activity, firearms offences, Class A drug supply, violence, rape and dangerous driving.

Seven people were subsequently charged and remanded to appear before magistrates.

Police also seized suspected Class A and Class C drugs, cash, a knife, a knuckle duster, a baton and several vehicles and other items during the operation.

SIX SUSPECTS LINKED TO THE EVENTS BEFORE THE A66 CRASH

The operation comes after a complex investigation into the chain of criminal events that preceded the fatal collision.

On the morning of August 22, Cleveland Police received reports of vehicles being driven dangerously around Middlesbrough.

One vehicle, believed to be a Volvo XC60, was reported to have rammed properties.

A second vehicle, a Volkswagen Passat, was believed to have been associated with the activity.

Police later said both vehicles were using cloned number plates.

The Passat was subsequently involved in a pursuit before it travelled the wrong way along the A66 and collided head-on with a marked police vehicle.

SEVEN PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES

The collision killed PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, as well as the five people travelling in the Volkswagen Passat.

The five were Cole Robert Worthy, Theo Rae, Makai Saddington, Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak.

The tragedy sent shockwaves through Cleveland and the wider policing community.

Previous investigations had already resulted in multiple arrests. By late August, the total number had reached 24 as officers pursued suspected organised-crime links and investigated other incidents that followed the crash.

POLICE SEIZE DRUGS, CASH AND VEHICLES

During Monday’s crackdown, specialist officers also targeted suspected illegal vehicle activity.

Matrix officers stopped 27 vehicles, issued fixed penalty notices for driving offences and seized a vehicle after finding that its driver allegedly had no licence or insurance.

Two people were arrested after officers tracked a Surron electric bike being ridden around Grangetown.

Police said a drone followed the riders to an address, where officers recovered the Surron along with another high-value electric bike and a suspected stolen construction machine.

POLICE SAY THE OPERATION WILL CONTINUE

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hall said the operation was particularly important because of the serious incidents that had affected communities in the area during the previous four weeks.

Police said Operation Artemis would continue across Cleveland as officers seek to disrupt organised criminal groups and target people suspected of causing serious harm.

Superintendent Daryll Tomlinson, who led Monday’s operation, said officers were targeting organised crime suspects and people wanted on outstanding warrants.

The latest operation is therefore broader than the A66 investigation itself.

Police are targeting criminal activity across the surrounding communities while continuing to investigate the events that led up to the fatal collision.

THE A66 INVESTIGATION CONTINUES

The deadly crash remains the focus of a major investigation involving Cleveland Police and other agencies.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct has also been examining aspects of the police response and pursuit surrounding the tragedy.

Earlier in the investigation, Cleveland Police said the Passat had been linked to intelligence concerning several incidents before the collision.

The force has described the investigation as fast-moving and complex, with suspected links to serious and organised criminal activity.

For the families of the seven people who died, however, the consequences of that night remain permanent.

And as police continue making arrests and bringing charges, investigators are still working to establish the full chain of events that led to the devastating A66 collision.