Police in Manchester have seized over a million suspected counterfeit pills including codeine and diazepam along with a “significant quantity of cash”.

The seizure, which was made as part of the anti-counterfeiting initiative Operation Vulcan, took place in a business premises in Strangeways after a man was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply, possession of cannabis and drug driving.

A picture posted on the Greater Manchester Police website showed boxes of suspected counterfeit medicines including dihydrocodeine, diazepam and lorazepam.

More suspected counterfeit items and “a significant quantity of cash” were also seized from the man’s home, where a woman was arrested on suspicion of money laundering.

Detective chief inspector Jen Kelly said: “This is a fantastic result for our communities. Counterfeit drugs pose a serious risk to vulnerable individuals and the sale of them often fuels the activities of organised crime groups.

“The stop search was a great piece of proactive work by GMP’s Transport Unit. The fact this intelligence was fed into our team is really encouraging and shows that cross-force support for Operation Vulcan is growing. 

“We are in the early days of the Op Vulcan fight in Strangeways and Cheetham Hill and though we are doing everything we can to build a resilient community, we encourage members of the public to report concerns to us.”