A series of early morning raids has been carried out by police around Middlesbrough in a major crackdown on drug dealing and organised crime.
Police presence in the local area has increased following a crash on the A66 on August 22, in which two officers and five young men were killed.
Cleveland Police searched properties across Redcar, South Bank and Grangetown on Monday as part of Operation Artemis, executing drugs warrants and detaining outstanding suspects.
By Monday afternoon, the force stated four warrants had been executed, resulting in 17 arrests for offences including theft of a motor vehicle and drug supply.
Seizures included suspected class A and class C drugs, cash, a knife, knuckle duster, a baton, an illegal e-bike, an electric scooter, an electric assisted pedal cycle or “revvi” and a suspected stolen wacker plate construction tool.
Police said officers made four arrests at one address in Birchington Avenue, Grangetown, on suspicion of drugs supply offences.
Three men, aged 37, 43 and 60, and a 58-year-old woman were taken into police custody.
An amount of suspected class A drugs was recovered along with a quantity of cash, and a dog which was believed to be a banned breed was seized.
At another address in Moorbeck Way, Ormesby, officers recovered a knife, a baton and a knuckle duster, and recovered suspected class C drugs.
Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, were killed when a Volkswagen Passat going the wrong way along the A66 dual carriageway hit their marked armed response vehicle on August 22.
The five young men in the Passat were also killed.
