June 17, 2022 2.15 pm This story is over 20 months old

Operation Raptor: Court hearings coming after police target weapon-related crime

A week of enforcement cracking down on weapons in Lincolnshire

A man charged with offences including intent to supply drugs, possession of drugs, and possession of offensive weapons and criminal property will be in court on Monday 20 June.

Officers from the Lincoln Neighbourhood Policing Team executed a warrant at an address in the south of the city and uncovered £29,620 in cash, around £22k worth of heroin, £400 to £800 of cocaine, what is believed to be a taser, and numerous other offensive weapons. All of those items were seized.

Paul Meenaghan, 43, of Elder Street, Lincoln, was charged and remanded in connection to the warrant.

He was charged for possession with intent to supply Class A Heroin, possession of Class A Cocaine, possession of an offensive weapon in private place, possession of a weapon designed or adapted for the discharge of incapacitating electricity, and possession of criminal property.

The warrant was served on May 16, 2022. His next court hearing is Monday at Lincoln Crown Court.

The warrant was executed as part of a week of enforcement for Operation Raptor, our year-round effort to keep the county as safe as possible by targeting weapon-enabled crime.

In a separate incident during the enforcement activity, Michael Bull, 36, of Thistle Drive, Kettering in Northamptonshire was charged following an assault in Oxford Street in Grantham, on May 15.

Further searches were carried out on Bull’s vehicle and address and a Zombie knife was located. He was charged with possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, possession of an offensive weapon in a private place, grievous bodily harm (GBH), and possession of Cocaine. He has been remanded into custody until his hearing at Lincoln Crown Court, which is also on Monday.

Another man, Michael Morgan, 57, of Bowerdean Road, High Wycombe, was charged with possession of a machete following a vehicle stop check in John Adams Way, Boston on May 18.

His vehicle was also seized for being driven with no insurance and driving without a valid license. He was bailed to appear at Boston Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, June 22.

There were a further nine arrests made in connection with weapons and drugs offences, and the suspects have been released under investigation while we continue with our enquiries.

Another three people also arrested in connection with weapons and drugs offences have been bailed, and a 41-year-old man was given a caution for possession of a knife/ bladed article in a public place following a vehicle stop in Lincoln.

Highlights from the enforcement week:

  • £100k worth of drugs recovered overall
  • More than £31k of cash seized overall
  • A total of 46 weapons seized, including knives, a taser, and baseball bats with screws poking out the end.
  • Carried out 26 stop searches, resulting in seven arrests
  • One car was seized

The enforcement activity was carried out between 16 and 22 May, and involved staff and officers from our neighbourhood, response and intelligence teams, Roads Policing Unit (RPU), armed policing, Tactical Search Teams (TST), and dog units, all with the support of Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Crime and Force Control Room. The work carries on year-round.

Superintendent Lee Pache, who leads Op Raptor, said: “This enforcement across the county has seen resources coming together at all times of day and night, focusing on homes and seizing assets.

“The impact is significant, with 46 weapons recovered, a vehicle seized, and over a kilogram of drugs found. That’s a significant amount of money, around £100,000 worth of drugs, and it’s as a consequence of intelligence-led policing.

“This work will continue. We are going to throw criminals off balance. Operation Raptor is exceptionally important and if it wasn’t for the hard work of our officers, these types of successes just wouldn’t have happened.”