FOUR people will appear in court this morning charged with being concerned in the supply of heroin, after breakfast-time police raids in South Durham yesterday.

A fifth person, a 16-year-old youth, was arrested and released on police bail.

The raids were carried out in Shildon and Darlington as part of Operation Ditali, which had been planned by police for several months.

Accompanied by drugs sniffer dogs and their handlers, 30 officers from Newton Aycliffe CID and division headquarters in Durham City swooped on three houses at 7.30am.

In the first raid, at two properties in the Holly Hill area of Shildon, a 39-year-old woman and a 16-year-old youth were arrested with two other men.

Another man was arrested after a second raid on a house in Rockingham Street, Darlington.

The three men arrested are in their mid-20s and early-30s.

All five were detained overnight in Bishop Auckland and Newton Aycliffe police stations.

Detective Inspector Stuart Robson, of Newton Aycliffe CID, said: "Our inquiries have not stopped simply because we have arrested a number of people.

"The operation is continuing and I fully expect further arrests to be made in the next day or two."