Eight people were arrested in south London and two women and 10 men were arrested in Teesside on suspicion of conspiracy to supply controlled drugs.

Eight people were arrested in south London and two women and 10 men were arrested in Teesside on suspicion of conspiracy to supply controlled drugs.The raids follow a two-and-a-half-year investigation into members of alleged crime gangs based in north Kent and Billingham in Teesside, who are believed to have smuggled drugs into the UK from Spain and other European countries via France.The operation was co-ordinated by Kent Police, which mobilised about 90 officers across three police forces.
One of those arrested in south London is being questioned by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca).Det Insp Thomas Richards of Kent Police's serious and organised crime unit said: "This is a very complex operation involving multiple law enforcement agencies and what we believe is a web of sophisticated criminal activity across the UK, Spain, France and other European countries."Every arrest had to happen at the same time to ensure no one was tipped off and the quality and integrity of evidence seized was preserved.The operation, which also involved officers from Cleveland Police and Soca, is believed to be the largest and most complex for Kent Police in the past five years.Some of the arrests were also in relation to money laundering and mortgage fraud, police said.