CHESHIRE Police have arrested 12 people in an early morning swoop on suspected drug dealers.

More than 100 officers took part in the raids on 17 properties across Warrington, this morning, as part of Operation Strikeout.

They seized cash, a quantity of class A drugs - including powder cocaine - and also discovered a cannabis factory at an address in one of the town's estates.

Surveillance

The swoop, at around 5.30am, followed eight months of surveillance and detective work by Cheshire Police to battle an increase in cocaine use in Warrington town centre.

The operation was the largest ever carried out by Cheshire police into powder cocaine.

DCI Nick Bailey, of Cheshire Police, said: "The raids were successful, although we want to point out that the cocaine we seized throughout the operation was mostly between one and three percent purity; that means people buying coke in Warrington are buying over 95 percent cutting agents and chemicals used to bulk up the powder.

"Some of the 'cocaine' we seized previously has been 100 percent cutting agent with no cocaine in it at all."

Ten men and two women were collared in the raids and are currently in custody.