DETECTIVES last night warned the region's drug dealers: "We are coming for your cars, your homes and your cash".

The warning came as officers in Gateshead carried out a major raid to interrupt the flow of Class A drugs into the region and told the dealers that they would be put out of business.

Yesterday's raids came just four days after police in neighbouring Newcastle netted their biggest-ever haul of crack cocaine, after raiding ten addresses across the city.

Four men were arrested during the Gateshead operation, which follows months of intelligence work by detectives, and a large quantity of drugs and bootleg alcohol were seized.

Officers, executing search warrants under the Misuse of Drugs Act, raided a large business premises in Strothers Lane, High Spen, and two houses in the Winlaton area of the borough.

During the operation, cocaine with an estimated street value of £180,000 was seized, along with a haul of 10,000 ecstasy tablets.

The raid also led to the seizure of 40 boxes of bootleg vodka and 32 builders' skips, all suspected stolen, with an estimated value of £20,000.

Police also impounded four vehicles found at the scene of the raids and what they would only specify as "a quantity of cash".

All four men arrested during the swoop were last night still being questioned by officers at police stations in the Gateshead area.

Following the operation, Detective Inspector Jamie Pitt, of Gateshead CID, said: "I would like to reassure the local community in Gateshead that we are actively targeting suppliers of Class A drugs, with a number of notable successes of late.

"As well as the seizure of controlled drugs, Northumbria Police will also carry out intrusive financial inquiries into drug dealers.

"We will seize their vehicles, homes and cash, and ensure they are no longer open for business, in any sense of the word."