FIVE men have been arrested after detectives swooped on a suspected drugs ring in County Durham and seized more than £50,000-worth of cocaine and cannabis.
The arrests were made by members of the Northern Area Pro Active Unit, based at Chester-le-Street, on Thursday as part of a an intelligence led operation named Buttonhole.
About 15 officers, including some from Northumbria Police, executed the warrants at a farm in the Sherburn Hill area of Durham and a house in Hetton-le-Hole, in the Northumbria Police area, and recovered cocaine with a street value of £50,000 and cannabis resin valued at £5,000 from the two houses.
The men, all in their late 20s, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and were taken to police stations at Durham and Peterlee.
After questioning they were released until early next year pending further inquiries and forensic tests.
Detective Sergeant John Foreman said: "This operation has been many months in the planning and is a direct response to the increasing use of cocaine in the region."
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