A TOTAL of 18 people have been arrested as part of a large-scale operation to clampdown on the illegal supply of crack cocaine and heroin across Northern England.

The targeted strikes formed part of a large-scale investigation known as Operation Girona – a multi-force crackdown which aimed to disrupt a suspected organised criminal group, believed to be running a County Line shipping Class A drugs into the region from the North West.

The activity formed part of the national intensification period to tackle this type of criminality and saw warrants executed at 15 addresses in Gateshead, Newcastle, Stanley, Pelton Fell, Peterlee and Seaham and in Widnes, Crewe, the Wirral, and Liverpool.

More than 100 officers from Northumbria, Durham, Merseyside, Cheshire and the North East Regional Special Operations Unit (NERSOU) took part in disruption activity.

That resulted in the seizure of £16,000 in cash, 175g of heroin worth £2,800, more than 12,000 suspected illegal cigarettes, 165 packets of tobacco and 32 mobile phones. A number of vehicles were also uplifted.

A total of 13 men, aged between 18 and 57, and five women, aged between 31 and 59, were all arrested on suspicion of Conspiracy to Supply Class A drugs throughout the United Kingdom.

They have since been released under investigation. Detective Chief Inspector Jamie Pitt, from Northumbria Police, led the operation and praised the results of the partnership activity.

He said: “As a force, we have made our position on county lines drug dealing very clear. It is an appalling practice which sees dangerous criminals selling highly addictive substances like heroin to vulnerable drug users exploiting their addictions for financial gain - and we will not tolerate this in our region.

“Whilst this hasn’t taken hold in our area like it has in some other parts of the country, we are not going to be complacent and will continue to take robust action, and embrace the valuable lessons learned in other parts of the country.”

The tactical strikes came just days after drug dealer David Elliott was jailed at Newcastle Crown Court for selling heroin as part of Operation Salvator - a large-scale investigation into the rising number of drugs deaths in Gateshead between 2017-2018.

The 39-year-old was one of 60 suspects arrested in one of the biggest days of action ever carried out by the Force in April last year.

Police and crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness said: “The scale and success of this operation shows that when it comes to tackling county lines in Northumbria we are taking action and ensuring that our region doesn’t become blighted by this horrible crime in a way that other major cities have been."