MORE than £130,000-worth of Class A drugs were seized and 12 arrests were made during a week of police action to tackle county lines in areas including Powys.

Dyfed Powys Police (DPP) confirmed that officers that £125,000-worth of heroin and £12,000-worth of cocaine was among the items seized.

Five warrants were executed in Powys, three of which recovered class A drugs (heroin & cocaine) and cannabis, the force confirmed.

The force took part in the national county lines-focused week by carrying out warrants, intercepting vehicles potentially involved in the supply of drugs, and working with partners to raise awareness of drug-related crime.

Also seized across the force area were 40 blue tablets, cannabis, an imitation firearm, a six-inch knife and £7,325 in cash during 17 warrants.

Temporary detective chief inspector (DCI), Andrew Cotterell, described the week as highly successful for Dyfed Powys Police.

He said: “We had a number of excellent results thanks to the proactive work of officers across the four divisions.

“The work of our teams resulted in the seizure of a kilo of heroin and a significant amount of cocaine before they could make it to our streets.

“The devastation this quantity of class A drugs could cause in our communities doesn’t bear thinking about, and we are pleased to highlight this disruption to the use and supply of illegal substances.”

Police made arrests for suspected drug offences, including possession and possession with intent and concerned in the supply of drugs.

Other offences included driving while disqualified and driving while unfit.

While proactive policing and response teams actively targeted lines of drugs supply, the INTACT team, neighbourhood policing teams and Safer Communities Hub offered support and safeguarding advice, as well as educating partners on the signs and risks of county lines.

Visits were made to 38 cuckooing victims, or those at risk of being cuckooed, four people were safeguarded - one due to age, and two referrals were made for vulnerable people under the national referral mechanism.

DCI Cotterell added: “Few people are aware of the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes to support victims, or the measures we put in place to stop people from becoming repeat victims of drug-related crime.

“It is very important to us as a force that while we act on all new intelligence to disrupt county lines, we also take a victim-oriented approach to working with those affected by these gangs to protect them from becoming repeat victims.”

Colleges and university campuses were visited during the week and more than 5,000 young people were educated about county lines.

Visits were also made to 85 businesses across the force, while 15,000 private landlords and letting agents were made aware of the consequences of ignoring potential criminal activity at their properties.