TWENTY people have been arrested in a series of raids in North Cumbria.

As part of Operation Monochrome, police officers from Eden and Carlisle also seized more than £25,000 worth of drugs and £20,000 worth of stolen property.

Detective Sergeant Kevin Hammond, who led the operation, said: "Drug dealing, handling stolen property, burglary and volume crime is not a new problem but it is one that has detrimental effects on local communities.

"It is our job as police officers to make sure that people who go down this route are brought to justice and our local communities can feel safe within their own homes and neighbourhoods."
 

"What this operation has shown is that we have a zero tolerance outlook on all types of crime, especially those which have an impact of our local communities.

"Twenty arrests in four days helps to ease concerns within our area but we know that this battle isn’t over and we will continue to execute plans to stop these types of crimes."

On Tuesday 2nd July, search and arrest warrants were executed in Penrith, four addresses were searched and four people were arrested:

Inspector Tony Quinn said: "Drug dealing and handling stolen goods are a mark on our society and have a huge impact on all communities.

"Our operation should serve as a warning to anyone planning to go into drug dealing or handling stolen goods that we will find put who you are and we will bring you to justice.

"We’d like to thank those communities that have reported suspicious activity within their areas. It is a massive help to us when members of the public take a tough stance against crime in their area."

Any suspicious activity should be reported to police on 101. Alternatively, if you wish to remain anonymous, you can provide information by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.