Police arrest 13 in drugs raids across Ballymena

There was a major police crackdown on drugs in the town of Ballymena, Co Antrim, this afternoon.

One hundred and twenty police officers are taking part in the operation targeted at heroin dealers in the town and across the North.

Ballymena is regarded as the heroin capital of the North, where generally speaking hard drugs are not as serious a problem as they are in the Republic.

Thirteen people were arrested after police carried out early-morning raids in Ballymena, Belfast and Co Tyrone.

Commanding officer Mark Dennison said the operation had been planned for a long time and involved months of evidence-gathering against individuals named in arrest warrants.

Within the last three years, there have been 60 convictions for supplying class-A drugs in the Ballymena area.