Drugs squad warns dealers 'you could be next' after raiding three more Northampton properties

A top detective warned drug dealers 'you could be next' after a series of raids in Northampton yesterday.

Drugs squad officers swooped on three addresses in Dallington and King's Heath on Wednesday morning (June 10), making one arrest and seizing a number of items linked to dealing.

Mobile phones, notebooks and paperwork including lists of ‘customers’ were all among the haul of items taken away for investigation.

Detective Chief Inspector Lee McBride heads up Northamptonshire's serious and organised crime campaign, Operation Viper.

He said: “Yesterday morning’s warrants were really successful and the result of some absolutely cracking work by my team.

"We seized lots of evidence which we are currently working through and I am pleased we managed to safeguard some individuals as well as make an arrest.

“We remain relentless in our aim to tackle the supply of drugs in this county and I hope yesterday morning’s warrants demonstrates that determination and desire to keep pursuing those people committing crime here.

“My message to those people who think Northamptonshire is a viable option to operate county lines is this: You might think your activity is going unnoticed or that we don’t know who you are, but we are constantly collecting intelligence on the supply of drugs here and it could be your door we’re going through next.”

A 51-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and a number of people suspected of being 'cuckooed' were safeguarded during yesterday's crackdown on properties in Brookside Meadows, Dallington, Nene Drive and Avon Drive .

'Cuckooing' is a term for dealers taking over homes of vulnerable persons to use it as a base for county lines drug trafficking. The crime is named for the cuckoo's habit of taking over other birds' nests for its young

Operation Viper aims to crack down on those involved in drug and gang related crime.

It tackles the supply of Class A drugs, relentlessly pursuing organised crime groups, gangs, local drug lines, and county lines.

Two weeks ago, the squad arrested two men and seized a stash of drugs worth thousands of pounds during five raids on an organised crime gang in Northampton.

And last weekend, .two cannabis farms were shut down during raids on the former Nationwide Building Society branch in Far Cotton and a property in Billing, where a 15-year-old boy was arrested.