A DRUGS raid on a house in Skipton resulted in a Bradford man's arrested.

The raid took place on December 18 at Willow Way and an 18-year-old man was arrested and released pending further investigation.

Thirty nine wraps of brown and white powder were seized from the address along with mobile phones and sim cards.

The investigation is part of North Yorkshire Police's crackdown on so called 'county lines' drugs offences.

County lines drug dealing is a type of organised crime, often violent, where criminals from urban areas such as Bradford and Leeds sell drugs in smaller surrounding towns.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said: "Gangs exploit vulnerable people, including children, and force them to sell drugs on their behalf, often using extreme violence. It takes its name from the phone lines used by criminals to communicate between the towns and “advertise” their drugs for sale.

"Tackling it remains a priority for North Yorkshire Police with a particular focus on safeguarding anyone who has been groomed or threatened into “working” for the perpetrators, either to sell drugs or who are forced to give up their home to drug dealers in a practice known as 'cuckooing'.

Suspicions of cuckooing can be described as increased callers at a property, increase in cars pulling up for short periods of time, different accents at a property, increased antisocial behaviour at a property, not seeing the resident for long periods of time, unfamiliar vehicles at the property or windows covered or curtains closed for long periods.

The raid which saw the Bradford man arrested follows on from a number of large-scale investigations in the county including one which resulted in detectives and police staff from Harrogate CID being presented with a Judge's Commendation for their work which saw three violent county lines drug dealers jailed for over 50 years.

In October last year, Mohamed Abdi, Adirahman Shire and Julian Soares were jailed at Leeds Crown Court for supplying cocaine and causing grievous bodily harm. After passing sentence, His Honour, Mr Justice Martin Spencer QC, commended the investigation team for the comprehensive way in which the case was brought to court.

Mohamed Abdi, 26, of Tower Street, Leicester, Adirahman Shire, 22, of Oak Street, Leicester, and Julian Soares, 23, of Brixton, London, were found guilty of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and conspiracy to supply cocaine following a two-week trial at Leeds Crown Court that concluded on 16 October 2018. Abdi pleaded guilty to the conspiracy to supply cocaine charge midway through the trial. Soares was also found guilty of administering a noxious substance and conspiracy to supply heroin.

Soares received sentences totalling 29 years including two concurrent sentences of eight years for conspiracies to supply cocaine and heroin, 12 years for wounding and one year for administering a noxious substance, meaning he will serve 20 years in prison. Shire was jailed for 15 years and Abdi for 14 years and nine months.

The charge of wounding with intent related to an attack at a property on Skipton Road when a 38-year-old man from Leeds was stabbed.

A second victim, who has subsequently been jailed for five years for drug dealing, Audley Anthony St Patrick Mascoll, 54, also from Leeds, was also stabbed during the incident, however the three defendants were found not guilty of wounding Mr Mascoll.

The charge of administering a noxious substance related to an attack on Kings Road when a 37-year-old man from Harrogate had a corrosive liquid thrown in his face.

The men had been arrested after police were called to the incident on October 20, 2017.