THREE suspected drug dealers and five other people were arrested in York yesterday in a North Yorkshire Police day of action in the city.

Officers staged a special crackdown as part of its ongoing Operation Hawk campaign against travelling criminals and offenders in York and North Yorkshire communities.

Two men aged 24 and 34 and one woman aged 34 were all arrested on suspicion of supplying class A and B drugs.

Police found a stash of drugs - thought to be amphetamine and cannabis - in a house they were searching on Etty Avenue in Tang Hall yesterday.

All  three are still being questioned by police, a force spokesman said.

In addition, a 31-year-old woman was arrested on Nunnery Lane at around 2.30pm. She was wanted on a warrant issued by York Magistrates’ Court after failing to turn up at court to answer charges of theft. One of the charges related to the theft of money from a British Legion charity tin at Wackers restaurant on Gillygate, and she was due to appear before the court today.

A wanted man was also arrested on Pavement in York city centre. The man, aged 31, was arrested on suspicion of theft from Spar on Huntington Road. He was later charged and is due to appear at the magistrates’ court on Thursday, April 17.

Another wanted man was arrested at a property in Rawdon Avenue in connection with a theft of Tadcaster Road. The man, aged 50, will also appear before the magistrates on April 17.

Two other men were also arrested on suspicion of theft on Jockey Lane and police officers gave out three cannabis warnings and conducted numerous stop searches on known offenders.

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Kennedy said: “Operation Hawk was established to protect all residents throughout North Yorkshire from the threat of criminality in their communities.

“The resources we have working on the operation means we can disrupt the lives of criminals by searching their houses, tracking down wanted people, stopping and searching known offenders and building up an intelligence picture of what criminal activity they are involved in.

“The numerous days of action which we have had and will continue to have will hopefully show criminals that we know who they are, what they are doing and that we won’t tolerate their behaviour.

“We might not have paid them a visit on this occasion but next time there is every chance that we will do.”