SPECIALIST officers have arrested five people following five early morning raids in Newport.

More than 100 officers from Gwent Police and Tarian - the Regional Organised Crime Unit - were involved.

The raids were part of Operation Jigsaw. The operation had been in the planning for several months and its purpose is to dismantle the full scope of criminality - including drug and county lines, modern day slavery and human trafficking, and cyber and financial crime - in Gwent.

The teams included specialist method of entry and search trained officers, along with officers from Gwent Police's dogs' section and Criminal Investigation Teams. Local officers were also used to help carry out this morning’s activity.

High value items including large amounts of cash have been seized – believed to be the proceeds of criminal activity and serious organised crime. What’s thought to be Class A drugs have also been seized and will now be sent away for forensic examination and identification.

Five people have now been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. They are all currently in police custody and investigations are now ongoing.

Serious Organised Crime can take many forms of criminal activity and can include: Top tier drugs supply of some our most dangerous Class A drugs, child sexual exploitation and human trafficking, violence and intimidation, cyber-crime and money laundering.

South Wales Argus:

Detective Inspector Andy Bartholomew said: “This activity, doesn’t just take place in isolation, it is just one aspect of a much larger fight to tackle serious and organised crime in Gwent and the surrounding area. We have our eyes on these people and we won’t stop this fight to dismantle these groups of criminals. I’d say to them, our work will continue and next time, we could be coming to your door.

“We understand that nobody knows their streets better than the residents that live there. They see what goes on day to day, they see suspicious activity, they see when something is not quite right.

“If you see something that either seems out of place or in most cases, if something just does not add up then you can contact us and know it will be dealt with seriously. What may seems like a small detail to you, to Gwent Police, it could be the final piece to a much bigger puzzle.”

Earlier this month, 13 properties in Alway and Lliswerry were also raided as part of the operation.