Suspected heroin and crack cocaine dealers were targeted on Wednesday morning in a series of dawn raids across north-east Hampshire and west Surrey.

More than 400 officers from the Surrey and Hampshire police forces executed warrants simultaneously at 6am as part of an operation which followed a year of intelligence-gathering.

Teams of officers knocked on doors in Aldershot, Farnborough, Fleet, Farnham, Camberley, Ash and London.

The raids were carried out by 10 teams, including specialist drugs officers and sniffer dogs.

Nineteen people have been arrested and are being questioned at different police stations.

Those detained include a 17-year-old boy from Camberley, a 58-year-old woman from Farnborough and a 41-year-old man from Fleet.

Superintendent Barry Talbot, deputy commander for North and East Hampshire Operational Command Unit, said that Wednesday's operation was successful.

"The operation was aimed at disrupting the drugs supply network, and the drugs-related activity in the area," he said.

"The impact of drugs is far reaching. Violence is used by dealers in response to debt and during disputes, and illegal supply can lead those who are dependent on drugs to commit low level crime to fund their craving," he added.

Anyone with information about drug-dealing in their area is asked to call Hampshire police on 0845 045 4545 or Surrey Police on 0845 125 2222. Alternatively, the Crimestoppers charity can be reached anonymously on 0800 555 111.

For more on this story, see the News, out on Friday, December 5.