A man from Rochdale has been handed a jail sentence after thousands of pounds worth of drugs, guns, and more than 800 parrots were discovered on his land.
Back on 27 July 2023, officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called out to the address of The Pen, on Dyehouse Lane in Rochdale – which was a large plot of land with several containers, buildings, and outbuildings, and the family home of 36-year-old Zak Dearden – and proceeded to conduct searches.
This operation took a month, and more than 50 police officers were used to successfully complete the search of the land and all buildings.
Dearden was originally arrested, charged, and remanded for a drugs offence, but after officers received some intelligence that he had guns at his home address, and this is when searches began – with Operation Greyhound commencing in July 2023.
The Pen site on Dyehouse Lane in Rochdale, where Zak Dearden lived / Credit: GMP
Over the next four weeks, the search of the buildings resulted in drugs, firearms, and chemicals which were believed to be used in the manufacture and production of drugs, being seized from the property.
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Five firearms with ammunition, and drugs including 10kg of amphetamines with a street value of £100,000, 99g of cannabis oil with a street value of £12,884, £57,000 worth of cannabis and £4,685 worth of cocaine, were all recovered from the property site in total.
As Dearden also ran a pet shop with his father selling exotic birds, officers found several hundred different animals including dogs, peacocks, parrots, mink, ferrets, ducks, Koi Carp, and a bull at the address, and at one count, there were even more than 800 parrots in separate outbuildings.
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#JAILED | A man has been jailed for 10 years after officers discovered drugs, guns, ammunition and exotic birds on land in Rochdale.
Zak Dearden pleaded guilty to 13 counts including possession of guns, ammunition and drug supply.
All the animals, including the 800 parrots, were left in the care of Dearden’s father after searches.
Dearden pleaded guilty to 13 counts, including but not limited to, the possession of guns, ammunition, possession of drugs, being concerned in drug supply, and drug manufacture.
The 36-year-old appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last week, and after pleading guilty, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Featured Image – GMP
News
A Greater Manchester neighbourhood has been named one of the ‘coolest’ in the UK
Clementine Hall
A neighbourhood in Great Manchester has been crowned one of the coolest in the country – and this time, it’s not Ancoats.
Every year, we wait with bated breath to see which UK neighbourhoods have made the cut in Time Out’s annual ranking of the coolest places in the world.
But, as it turns out, Britain is just so damn cool that we’ve earned a list of our own.
In its latest guide, ’11 Coolest Neighbourhoods in the UK’, Time Out has rounded up the places across the country that are really making a name for themselves.
Images: The Manc
And one neighbourhood here in Greater Manchester has made the cut, and although you’d immediately think of Ancoats that has made its way to similar lists before, this time there’s a newbie on the block.
Coming in at a very respectable fourth place, Stockport and the Underbanks received a glowing report in the coveted list.
Images: The Manc
Are we surprised? Not one bit.
We love Stockport for its flourishing food scene, cool community vibe and ever-growing roster of independent businesses – not to mention its brilliant mix of old-school charm and new-school cool.
It’s a place that feels like it’s constantly evolving, without losing the character that made people fall in love with it in the first place. And clearly, Time Out agrees.
Images: The Manc
Kyle MacNeill, contributing writer, said: “If you live anywhere near Manchester, you may have heard this one on the rumour mill: ‘Stockport is The New Berlin’. It’s a gag, alright: the humble market town hasn’t got a club, let alone the most hedonistic nightlife scene in the world. But it is true that SK is rapidly becoming the place-to-move-to for the Second City’s creatives, thanks to cheaper rent and some serious suburban tenacity.
“The Underbanks, a cobbled high street once home to hat-makers and hosiers, has been transformed into a bustling hub of forward-thinking vendors, while various local institutions have embraced Euro-style cafe culture, midcentury decor, sustainable fine-dining, small plates snacking and chic drinking dens. All of which, actually, come to think of it, is very Berlin… “
High praise indeed, you can read the full list of the UK’s coolest neighbourhoods here.
Murder investigation launched and five people arrested after man dies in Salford
Emily Sergeant
A murder investigation has been launched after the death of a man in Salford this week.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that officers were called out to an address on Great Clowes Street in Salford at around 7:50pm on Tuesday evening (6 October), and when they arrived on the scene, a man in his 40s was found ‘unresponsive’.
Despite the best efforts of emergency services and all the medical professionals involved, the man sadly died a short time later.
The identity of the man has not been revealed as of yet.
Police have confirmed that five men, all aged between 24 and 35-years-old, have been arrested on suspicion of murder.
A public appeal for information has now been issued as the investigation into the circumstances surrounding this man’s death continues.
Detective Chief Inspector Ian Partington explained: “Our priority is to establish exactly what happened and we are keeping an open mind as we work to build a full picture of the events leading up to his death. A post-mortem is taking place to establish the cause of death, which will be an important part of our investigation.
“We understand that an incident of this nature will understandably cause concern within the local community but at this stage, we are confident that there isn’t any wider threat to the public.
“Officers will remain in the area while enquiries continue, and I would encourage anyone who has information, or who may have witnessed anything that could assist our investigation, to speak to officers or contact us.”
Can you help? Anyone with information should contact police on 101, use the LiveChat function on the GMP website, or contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Emily Sergeant -
14th October 2024 
