Hartlepool drug dealers targeted in Operation Sycamore

Three properties on the same street were targeted in a crackdown on crime in a North East town today (Wednesday, November 15).

Cleveland Police carried out a series of warrants in Hartlepool as part of Operation Sycamore targeting suspected drug dealers.

The initiative is an ongoing crackdown drugs, drug activity and antisocial behaviour in the town, which was launched in September.

Woman being arrested following raids on Baden Street, Hartlepool, as part of Operation Sycamore. (Image: Newsquest)

Three houses in Baden Street, Hartlepool, all believed to be connected to one suspected drugs gang, were raided at 10am.

Officers smashed their way through secured doors to disrupt the gang which was operation out of the three terraced properties.

A sniffer dog was brought in to search the houses for drugs and delivered positive results for its handler.

The suspected drug dealers operating out of an address on Baden Street, Hartlepool, tried to make it difficult for the police to gain entry. (Image: Newsquest)

Inspector Adrian Dack, of Cleveland Police, said residents’ concern about activity at the addresses resulted in the raids after ‘customers’ were calling at all hours of the day and night.

Officers believe that vulnerable people may have been ‘cuckooed’ and forced to store drugs.

Insp Dack said: “We have been listening to the community again, gathering intelligence and working with our partners in relation to drug dealing.

“There are concerns about vulnerable members of the community who are being exploited by those who are dealing drugs.”

So far, the operation has resulted in several arrests and the seizure of cash, weapons, and suspected drugs.

Man being arrested following raids on Baden Street, Hartlepool, as part of Operation Sycamore. (Image: Newsquest)

He added: “I have been very impressed with the results and the way that the teams have performed. We have recovered a large quantity of cash, a large quantity of drugs and we are taking some significant weapons off the streets.

See more court stories from The Northern Echo by clicking here

• Two men appear in court charged with shotgun offences following police operation
• Man turned to robbery to pay his brother's £12,000 drug debt after being stabbed
• Crackdown on knife crime focussing on getting weapons out of young hands

​Get all the latest crime and court updates, for less than the price of a coffee, with a Premium Plus digital subscription to The Northern Echo. Click here

“I would hope that the residents are happy to see this type of action. We will be going knocking on doors and speaking to neighbours letting them know that we are here, that we are speaking to them and that their concerns are being listened to and acted upon.”

Two men aged 45 and 43 arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs and possession of criminal property.

One man aged 22 and a woman aged 31 both arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.

A 31-year-old man and two women aged 26 and 35 were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

Class A drugs believed to be heroin and crack cocaine, a large quantity of cash, two cars and a knuckle duster were seized by officers.

One of the properties targeted by Cleveland Police on Baden Street, Hartlepool, as part of Operation Sycamore. (Image: Newsquest)

Earlier this month, Hartlepool Neighbourhood officers seized over 300 suspected cannabis plants at a property on Stockton Road.

And in September, the team swooped on two addresses in Keswick Street in Hartlepool as part of the recently introduced monthly operation.

Four properties in the street were searched, with officers seizing heroin, class C drugs and a number of weapons.