Machetes, 'burner' phones and wads of cash uncovered during Kettering drugs raid

Armed police smashed another drugs gang during a dawn raid in Kettering on Sunday.

Drugs squad officers, backed up by the Northamptonshire Police dog team, recovered machetes, £2,000 in cash, a number of 'burner' mobile phones and a small quantity of drugs after swooping on the property at 6.25am yesterday (June 21).

Three men were arrested inside the property on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

Inspector Carl Wilson said: "This sends a clear message that we will target those who try and exploit vulnerable persons for the purposes of drug dealing."

All three men — one aged 20 and two aged 22 — who were arrested have been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Sunday's raid in King Street is the latest in a series of swoops on organised drugs gangs in the county.

Last month, Northamptonshire Police released a video of one of five raids on properties in Northampton which netted drugs hauls worth thousands.

And ten days ago, drugs squad officers seized mobile phones, notebooks and paperwork including lists of ‘customers’ during three raids in Dallington and King's Heath.

Police found an AK47 assault rifle during a raid on a property in Raunds and found a six-bedroom house in Great Oakley had been converted into a cannabis factory with more than 600 plants worth up to £170,00.

NOW WATCH: Our reporter sees inside the plush six-bed house turned into a cannbis farm.Detective Chief Inspector Lee McBride, who heads up the force's serious and organised crime campaign Operation Viper, said: “We remain relentless in our aim to tackle the supply of drugs in this county.

“My message to people who think Northamptonshire is a viable option to people committing crime here is 'You might think your activity is going unnoticed or that we don’t know who you are, but we are constantly collecting intelligence on the supply of drugs here and it could be your door we’re going through next'.”

Operation Viper aims to crack down on those involved in drug and gang related crime.

It tackles the supply of Class A drugs, relentlessly pursuing organised crime groups, gangs, local drug lines, and county lines.