Nine Men and Three Women Arrested as A66 Crash Probe Finds 'Organised Crime' Link

Twelve people have been arrested as police investigate suspected serious and organised criminal activity linked to events before a fatal crash on the A66 near Middlesbrough that killed seven people, including two police officers.

Cleveland Police said nine men and three women, aged between 19 and 61, had been arrested across Teesside on suspicion of offences including firearms possession, drug supply and participating in the activities of an organised crime group. A 26-year-old man has also been charged with possession with intent to supply Class A and Class B drugs and possession of criminal property.

Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox described the investigation as 'fast moving and complex' and said it had 'significant links to serious and organised criminal activity.' The arrests follow Saturday's collision, when a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way along the A66 struck a marked police vehicle carrying PCs Matthew Blades, 37, and Tom Clough, 38. Five people inside the Passat also died.

Police Investigate Organised Crime Link

Cleveland Police said officers received reports in the early hours of Saturday about two vehicles being driven dangerously in the Middlesbrough area.

One vehicle, believed to be a Volvo XC60, was reported to have rammed residential properties. The Passat was believed to have been associated with the Volvo.

Police said both vehicles were operating with cloned number plates and were detected by the force's automated number plate recognition technology. The Volvo was later traced and recovered in Middlesbrough.

The investigation was supported by officers from Durham, Northumbria and North Yorkshire police forces. Those arrested are suspected of offences including possessing a firearm without a certificate, possessing an offensive weapon, criminal damage, drug supply and participating in the activities of an organised crime group.

Cleveland Police said there is currently no evidence that the activity reported on Friday night and Saturday morning was filmed for TikTok.

Pursuit Ended Shortly Before Collision

The Passat was pursued by police for just under seven minutes before it entered the A66 travelling against the flow of traffic.

The pursuit was abandoned for safety reasons after the vehicle began travelling the wrong way along the dual carriageway. About 10 seconds later, the Passat collided with the marked police vehicle carrying PCs Blades and Clough.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said the two officers were not involved in the original pursuit. They had been deployed to assist with the search for the Passat.

The five occupants were Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jacob Matusiak, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and Cole Robert Worthy, 17. Four had previous criminal convictions, although police have not said those convictions were connected to the wider organised-crime investigation.

Officers Remembered, Fundraising Surpasses £500k

Tributes have continued to emerge for PCs Matthew Blades and Tom Clough, as fundraising efforts for their families surpassed £500,000 ($681,000) following their deaths in the A66 collision.

Blades was a father of two who had recently taken on a coaching role at Seaton Carew FC. His family remembered him as their 'superhero,' saying his death had created a space that could never be filled.

Clough had served with British Transport Police and in the military before joining Cleveland Police. His family paid tribute to his character, describing him as their 'hero' and praising his 'fantastic sense of humour.'

The donations are being raised to support the officers' relatives following the fatal crash.

Meanwhile, detectives are continuing to investigate the events before the collision, including the suspected organised criminal activity linked to the case.