Police have arrested 32 people in a two-day operation cracking down on drug-dealing networks in York and Selby.
The targeted operation focused on York on Wednesday (10 January) and Selby on Thursday.
Officers seized dangerous weapons, a large quantity of Class A and B drugs and several vehicles.
Three of those arrested were wanted on warrant.
More than 100 police officers and staff from both North Yorkshire Police and Merseyside Police took part in ‘Project Medusa’, an operation to disrupt county lines drug dealing and safeguard vulnerable people.
Intelligence teams, road officers, police dogs, drones and British Transport Police were among those involved.
Warrants were executed at various addresses and increased plain clothed and uniformed patrols were used to intercept drug deals on the streets.
A specialist strike team used intelligence-led Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to intercept vehicles on the road network which are linked to drugs.
The York Rescue Boat also supported the operation by providing additional river safety patrols on the River Ouse.
Action in York
Officers identified a man and a woman on Kingsway in York who are linked to drugs supply.
The pair were found with a quantity of what is suspected to be a class-A drug.
A 37-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a class-A drug. She was interviewed and released under investigation.
A 43-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a class-A drug, possession of a class- A and class-C drug and possession of a weapon and theft. He was interviewed and released under investigation.
Officers searched the home address of the 42-year-old man and a 24-year-old man at the address was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a class-A drug. He was interviewed and released on conditional bail which prevents him from entering North Yorkshire.
Weapon ditched in Selby canal
A warrant was executed at an address in Brotherton near Selby. Numerous items which are linked to the supply of drugs were located.
A 44-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a Class- A drug, possession of criminal property and an offensive weapon as well as criminal damage.
He was interviewed and released under investigation. A 33-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a Class-A drug, possession of criminal property and an offensive weapon. She was also released under investigation.
Elsewhere, plain clothed officers in Selby saw a man discard an object in a canal. A police dog and a police underwater search unit searched the area and recovered a weapon which is believed to be used in crime.
A 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm. A 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm and possession with intent to supply a class-B drug. They both currently remain in police custody.
Detective Chief Inspector Carol Kirk from North Yorkshire Police was leading the operation.
She said: “Project Medusa is one of the largest operations that North Yorkshire Police has ever seen. It’s firmly had our approach of protecting communities and safeguarding the vulnerable at its heart.
“At the start of the new year these results are extremely positive and will go a long way to improve the quality of life for people in our communities.
“But this is two days of activity, and we won’t stop here. We will continue our relentless pursuit to protect our communities from harm and ensure that North Yorkshire remains one of the safest places to live.”