CREWE police officers were part of a County Lines operation which targeted an organised crime group.

Criminals linked to the drugs trade were the focus during a week of action by Cheshire Police which saw 14 men and five women arrested on suspicion of drug offences while heroin and cocaine was seized in raids.

The officers from Crewe Local Policing Unit linked up with their counterparts in Widnes to assist Northumbria Police targeting a "significant organised crime group". The operation led to the arrest of two men and class A drugs recovered in Sandbach.

Police also visited at least 12 people identified as victims of 'cuckooing' - where homes are taken over to use as a drugs den - to provide specialist support and advice.

Officers also engaged with 24 vulnerable adults and children who could have been targeted or exploited by organised crime gangs.

Macclesfield Local Policing Unit ran an operation with British Transport Police (BTP) to target those using the railway to transfer drugs into the area, while officers from Northwich Local Policing Unit engaged with children at train stations in Hartford, Greenbank and Winsford.

Last week's policing was part of a national focus on County Lines drug activity co-ordinated by the National Crime Agency and the National Police Chiefs' Council.

Det. Insp Eli Atkinson said: "The week of action enabled officers to go that extra mile by informing the public of what we're doing and how they too can look out for signs of children and adults who are vulnerable to organised criminals and report it.

"Throughout the week we carried out a range of activity including disrupting gangs by making arrests and seizing drugs but we also had a big focus on identifying and engaging with people whose homes are being taken over by drug dealers.

"It is these victims who are at the centre of County Lines and can often be forgotten which is why we give talks in schools, speak to residents in our community and visit businesses to raise awareness."

David Keane, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, said: "Preventing and protecting Cheshire's communities from serious and organised crime continues to be a key focus of my Police and Crime Plan."

Among those arrested during the week was a 35-year-old man from Macclesfield who was arrested on suspicion of holding a person in slavery. He has been released on conditional bail.

A Middlewich man, aged 45, was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs and was released under investigation. While a 61-year-old man from Middlewich, arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs, has since been released under investigation.

To report serious and organised crime please call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or Cheshire Police on 101.