DRUGS worth almost £300,000 were seized from two properties in the North-East over the weekend.

Fifty kgs of cannabis resin, 15,000 Ecstasy tablets and one and a half kgs of amphetamines were recovered in one of the most successful raids ever on Teesside.

Six officers raided properties in the Fern Park and Ingleby Barwick areas of Stockton on Friday evening, smashing a significant drug supply chain.

The haul was the latest in a series of raids by Cleveland Police over the past few weeks.

Detective Superintendent Steve Ash said: "The haul now brings the total amount of drugs seized by Stockton's dedicated drugs unit to more than £1.5m since its inception in March 2000.

"Let this send a chilling message to those who are the scourge of society and bring misery to the lives of communities through the supply of drugs."

Weeks of planning went into the raids with officers acting on intelligence from a number of sources before they acted. They were partly financed by Communities Against Drugs funding, and follow a blitz last month called Operation Warrior.

Det Supt Ash urged anyone with information about the supply of illegal substances to contact the police.

* Two men, aged 42 and 33, and 30-year-old woman were arrested after the raid and were last night still helping police with their inquiry.