OFFICERS who went undercover to crack a drugs ring in Darlington bought cocaine and Ecstasy worth at least £150,000.

But even they were amazed when they bought a large quantity of cocaine from a Darlington dealer, which was delivered in an ordinary carrier bag.

Detective Superintendent Harry Stephenson, who led the operation, said that dealers could make huge profits selling drugs, which is why people would always be tempted.

One batch of pure cocaine bought for £6,500 could have been sold on at a vastly inflated price. The white powder had a street value of up £100,000, according to police. Had the pure cocaine reached the streets, it would have been cut by a dealer with other materials, to make it go further.

Unscrupulous dealers will use anything from baking soda to chalk as a way of diluting the drug and maximising profit. Addicts rarely complain.

They sell the drug on the street in small quantities known as wraps which cost £45 each.

So it is no wonder Darlington has 300 addicts being treated on NHS rehabilitation programmes at any one time.

As well as cocaine, 25,000 Ecstasy tablets were bought by officers.

Some of these tablets were varieties which had not previously been seen in the North-East region.

Again, officers say the profit margin on Ecstasy is huge. Tablets can be purchased by dealers for as little as £1.50 each, but are sold for about £4 each.

Operation Karaman sought to disrupt the supply chain by taking out the dealers at the top.

The success of the operation will be measured in the weeks ahead as cocaine and Ecstasy starts to dry up - sending prices rocketing and making life harder for addicts.

Karaman is just the latest in a series of high-profile drugs raids staged by police across the region.

Cleveland Police has led the way with a series of operations that led to the recovery of large amounts of cocaine and heroin. In one day earlier this year, officers recovered heroin worth £17,000. The force aims to put one drug dealer out of business every day.

South Area Commander, Chief Superintendent Michael Banks expressed his pleasure at the operation.

In briefing the 400 officers involved in yesterday's raids, he said: "Every week and every day we look at who is causing us harm and pain, but today I will smile, because they're going to get taken out."

North Yorkshire Police have also launched Operation Delivery, designed to disrupt the flow of drugs into Richmond.

In March, teams of police sealed off Grange Villa, near Chester-le-Street, as Durham Constabulary declared war on crack cocaine.

At the same time, police officers targeted addresses in Stanley, Sacriston, Ouston, Bournmoor and Chester-leStreet

The signs are that the high- profile approach is working. Addicts have complained to undercover officers that drugs are becoming hard to source and more expensive to buy.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Malkin said: "Part of our investigation is to look beyond the people who are selling these drugs and look at who is manufacturing them.

"Rest assured, there will be no stone left unturned on this, we want to get those involved in the next level and hopefully they will be feeling very uncomfortable right now."

Detective Superintendent Harry Stephenson said: "Recreational drugs are a problem in every town, village and city in this country and we want to catch the people making huge, immense profits from it.

"We are making significant in-roads into this and this was one of a number of operations which will be happening in the future.

"We will continue in our fight against Class A drugs in Darlington and County Durham."

The drugs recovered in Operation Karaman will be used as evidence and then destroyed.

* Anyone experiencing substance misuse problems as a result of the raids can contact the Elmfield Centre, in Corporation Road, Darlington, on (01325) 555920. It is open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, with an answerphone message outside of these times giving details of the national drugs helpline.