DRUGS worth a street value of at least £50,000 were seized as police raided houses across Teesside.

Some of the recovered illicit substances were found hidden within a child's toy.

Three arrests and a large quantity of suspected drugs seized as Cleveland Police officers swooped on houses in South Bank and Thornaby.

Addresses were targeted on Steele Crescent, Shepherdson Court and Stephens Road in South Bank and Lancaster Way in Thornaby in the dawn raids on Friday morning.

The Northern Echo:

Multiple kilograms of brown powder, which detectives believe to be heroin and cutting agent, was recovered.

It is believed the suspected drugs could be worth a minimum of £50,000 on the streets.

A small quantity of cocaine, and a total of £5,500 in cash was also seized.

A spokeswoman said: "Officers were also shocked to find a quantity of cannabis was hidden in a child’s toy."

A 33-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession with the intent to supply cannabis, a 33-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession with the intent to supply Class A and a 57-year-old man was arrested for conspiracy to supply Class A. All have been released under investigation.

The activity was carried out under the banner of Operation Sentinel, which sees Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria Police working together to disrupt and prevent organised crime in the region.

Officers from North East Regional Specialist Operations Unit (NERSOU) supported teams of Cleveland Police officers with the raids.

Detective Chief Inspector Daryll Tomlinson, who co-ordinated the activity, said: “One of the major challenges we face is the supply of drugs by serious and organised criminal gangs.

"Their criminal activity has far-reaching repercussions in our communities, with their intention being to flood the streets with drugs.

“Our work under the banner of Operation Sentinel seeks to disrupt and dismantle these networks and bring to justice people we believe to be leading or connected to organised crime groups.

“I would like to thank the local community for their support with our work as I can’t stress enough the importance of the intelligence that they can give.”