SIX people were arrested after police raids in North Wales and the Northern West.

Officers from the Serious and Organised Crime Unit carried out ten search warrants on Wednesday morning at addresses across North Wales, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and County Durham.

These warrants were intelligence-led in relation to Operation Bowler which is an undercover investigation into the supply of controlled drugs.

Five men - aged between 28 and 50 - have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply drugs and one woman - aged 63 - has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply drugs and possession of ammunition. All six individuals remain in custody for questioning.

A total of approximately 2kg of believed amphetamine has been recovered from three of the addresses along with ammunition and a large quantity of designer clothing valued in excess of £30,000.

Detective Inspector, Justin Bryant, said: "This has been a long-running investigation which our dedicated officers have been investigating for over six months alongside our partners from Merseyside Police, North Wales Police, Cheshire Police, and Durham Constabulary.

"Today (Wednesday) we have been able to seize a significant amount of drugs and stop them from ever being able to reach our streets as well as disrupting an organised crime group in their criminal activity.

"Information from the public is invaluable in aiding us to prevent organised crime from hurting our communities. We would always encourage people to report anything suspicious to police - or alternatively, you can report information anonymously by contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."