THREE middle-aged men from the North-East have been arrested as part of a huge nationwide drugs bust.

The National Crime Squad yesterday swooped on homes in Tyneside, Merseyside and Scotland, arresting a total of 13 people and smashing what is thought to be one of the country's biggest heroin rings.

The early morning raids were the culmination of a 12-month investigation to piece together a supply and distribution chain dealing in large quantities of the Class A drug and other controlled substances.

The investigation, codenamed Operation Ruin, also seized six kilos of heroin with an estimated street value of £1.6m from an address in Dublin.

Before yesterday's arrests, the probe had already resulted in the seizure of a large amount of drugs - including 16 kilos of heroin, 50 kilos of cannabis and 41 kilos of amphetamine. A firearm was also recovered.

Detective Chief Inspector John Tyrer, of the National Crime Squad, said: "I believe yesterday's action has disrupted a major and organised heroin supply and distribution network based in Liverpool, but spread all over England and Scotland. This illegal business had the potential to make millions from the drugs trade."

All 13 were arrested for conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs. The three men arrested on Tyneside, aged 53, 50 and 47, were being transferred to police stations on Merseyside for questioning by National Crime Squad officers.

Another six men were held in Liverpool, along with a 31-year-old man, from Cheshire, a 44-year-old man, from Glasgow, and a 36-year-old man, from Lanarkshire, who was arrested in Blackpool.