A firearm has been recovered by a specialist crime team in Merseyside during an investigation into suspected drugs offences.
Officers from the Organised Crime Partnership (OCP) – a joint investigation team comprised of Merseyside Police and National Crime Agency officers – carried out a strike at a residential address in Sefton yesterday morning [13 May] as part of an intelligence-led investigation.
Officers searched the house and found a handgun in the loft, which an initial assessment has indicated to be viable.
The officers also recovered a quantity of ammunition and seized cash estimated to total around £35,000.
Michael McNally, 42, of Southport Road, Bootle, who was arrested at the address, has today [14 May] appeared at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine and heroin), conspiracy to supply Class B drugs (cannabis), money laundering and possession of a firearm and ammunition.
He has been remanded in custody to appear at Liverpool Crown Court on 11 June.
Detective Chief Inspector Lynsay Armbruster, of the OCP, said: “We remain determined to keep Merseyside’s communities safe from the threat of serious and organised crime. This investigation has resulted in the removal of a firearm from the streets of Merseyside.”
Inspector Mark Berry, from Merseyside Police’s Matrix Disruption team, which tackles high-risk organised crime in the county and assisted the OCP operation, said:
“Drug dealing is a trade that depends on violence and intimidation to exist, often relying on the use of weapons including knives and firearms.
Criminals involved in the supply of illegal drugs bring nothing but misery to our communities, and simply do not care about the violent and distressing consequences of their actions.”
14 May 2025
Read More NCA |National Crime Agency