Two arrested in pre-dawn county lines drugs raid

Police have arrested two people following a "pre-dawn" drugs raid at a house in Leeds.

The arrests at the property in Pudsey were part of a crackdown on county lines drug dealing that began in October and has led to 72 arrests and 143 charges, officers said.

According to West Yorkshire Police, 7.5kg (16.5lb) of suspected Class A drugs – including heroin and cocaine - and £150,000 of cash and assets have been seized during the operations.

Det Insp Helen Chapman said the team's aim was to "identify the people involved and dismantle their networks".

She added: "We have taken significant steps to disrupt the activities of those involved in county lines.

"This type of offending causes real harm in our communities – it's linked to serious violence as well as vulnerable people, including children, being exploited."

West Yorkshire Police's County Lines Taskforce was formed with funding from the Home Office.

It said more than 50 telephone lines had been closed down and 43 people had been safeguarded.

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