TWO men suspected of being the town's leading drug dealers have been arrested after police swooped in Howley.

An estimated £21,000 worth of cocaine and heroin will no longer be sold in Warrington each week, claim officers who carried out the raid on Tuesday morning.

Detective Sergeant Adrian Priest, head of Warrington Police's drug unit, said: "At street level, these men account for the majority of dealing in Howley, Bewsey, Latchford and the rest of town. Our assault will be destructive to the drug scene. It will be badly affected by the arrest of these men.

"The majority of known drug addicts in the area have been observed purchasing drugs from these people."

The house was raided at 10.45am by an 18-strong team of officers. A stake-out of the property began at 7.30am following a two-week surveillance operation.

Two men were arrested seconds after undercover officers captured another man, who was making the first of two daily £1,500 drug deliveries, say police.

One man has now been charged with possession with intent to supply - six weeks after being released from prison for the same offence - and two men have been charged with supplying class A drugs.

l The Warrington Guardian was invited to cover the raid. See the next story for all the details.