SEVENTEEN people including a woman who kept crack cocaine in her bra have been arrested in a week-long crackdown on gangs that bring hard drugs into North Yorkshire.

The county's police also seized nearly £5,000 in cash as they made a series of drug raids and stopped several vehicles.

They and British Transport Police were part of a nationwide police operation from March 7 to March 13 to crack down on "county lines" gangs who supply drugs from larger cities into towns and rural areas.

York Press: A police dog in action during the drug gang crackdown Pic: North Yorkshire Police

Detective Chief Inspector Lorraine Crossman-Smith, who coordinated the week of activity in North Yorkshire, said: “Whilst we work all year to take drugs off the streets of North Yorkshire this week of intensification has brought some substantial results. By disrupting supply lines and taking those involved out of circulation we can make North Yorkshire’s communities safer.

“We can only do this with the support and information that we get from residents so I would urge anyone with information about drug dealing in their community to call us on 101, we treat every piece of information as important.”

As well as targeting drug dealers and drug couriers, the operation tried to help vulnerable people who are exploited by the gangs, such as being pressurised into allowing their homes to be used as drug dealing centres.

In York, firearms officers stopped a car with a local woman in her 50s suspected of transporting drug runners in her vehicle. She had six wraps of what is believed to be crack cocaine concealed in her bra. All three occupants of the car were arrested. The woman was released under investigation and the other two people released without charge.

York Press: Police at York Railway Station during the crackdown Pic: North Yorkshire Police

Police carrying out a vulnerable person check at a York address found a packet as big as a golf ball which they believe to be drugs. A 48-year-old local woman and an 18-year-old West Yorkshire man were arrested suspected of possessing drugs.

At another address believed to be a drug dealing centre and used by vulnerable people, police found stolen property.

At York Railway Station, police set up a special operation to target criminals who were travelling to the city with offensive or dangerous weapons.

In Scarborough police seized cannabis, drug dealing equipment, cash and mobile phones during one raid and made two arrests.

They found heroin when they forced their way into a second, unoccupied address.

Four people were arrested when police stopped a white Audi car on Burniston Road and found drugs and cash inside.

Police also arrested a suspected drug dealer as he headed towards Harrogate from West Yorkshire. He had 16 wraps suspected of containing drugs, three mobile phones and £350 in cash in his car. He was later released under investigation.