MP issues warning over Wyre drug feuds in Wyre

Wyre MP Ben Wallace has warned cocaine use is increasing in parts of his constituency and was causing turf wars between different criminal gangs.
Wyre and Preston North MP Ben WallaceWyre and Preston North MP Ben Wallace
Wyre and Preston North MP Ben Wallace

The Tory MP, whose constituency of Wyre and Preston North includes Thornton, Poulton, St Michaels and Garstang, said criminal gangs were operating in his area as they sought to “enforce county lines.”

Mr Wallace, who is also the Security Minister, said the UK “is fast becoming the biggest consumer of cocaine in Europe”.

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And he said the “high-margin, high-supply drug” was “fuelling” an increase in violence on the streets.

Technology had enabled young dealers to evade detection and order drugs direct from “serious” gangs, he told MPs.

The minister said he was “not deaf” to Labour claims that police cuts had increased the pressure on officers trying to deal with the problem.

Mr Wallace did not respond to requests from The Gazette for more information of the issues locally.