Police officers from Merseyside, North Wales and British Transport Police joined forces in a crackdown on County Lines Organised Crime Groups responsible for cross-border drugs supply and the criminal exploitation of young and vulnerable people.

Project Medusa is a Merseyside-led initiative and more than 120 officers from all three forces have been involved in the operation, which has seen warrants executed at eight addresses, two in Wallasey, one in Kensington and one in Norris Green - and four in North Wales.

The raids have resulted in two arrests and officers have seized suspected Class A drugs.

Searches at the properties are ongoing.

Home Secretary Priti Patel, who joined officers for the operation on Friday morning, said: "I will not tolerate these abhorrent gangs that are terrorising our towns and exploiting our children.

"I’m pleased to see such strong results from the police – they have my full backing in this crucial work.

"We will continue to support their efforts in confronting this threat with 20,000 new officers."

Chief Constable Andy Cooke said: "In November 2019 Merseyside Police received £640,000 in government funding to tackle and close down County Lines OCGs operating from Merseyside.

"These County Lines OCGs are responsible for the widespread distribution of illegal drugs in other parts of the country including North Wales; Staffordshire, Cumbria; Cheshire; Lancashire; North Yorkshire; Northumbria; West Mercia; Scotland; Kent; Devon Cornwall and Wiltshire.

"As a result of Government funding we have been able to set up Project Medusa, which consists of different types of operational activity designed to effectively disrupt and in turn bring down these OCGs.

"In the last two months the concentrated activity of our officers, working together with British Transport Police and other forces in the UK, has led to the cutting of seven County Lines run by Organised Crime Groups.

"As a result we have arrested 48 people and more importantly we have been able to safeguard 21 people who were being exploited by these groups. County Lines are run off the backs of vulnerable people targeted by ruthless criminals.

"They use the vulnerable to deal their drugs, while they sit back and live off the criminal earnings from the sales of illegal drugs, which blight our communities."