Thirteen people were arrested as part of a crackdown on drug and exploitation gangs linked to Merseyside.
Homes were raided in Lancashire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands in operations all involving Merseyside Police.
Two suspects were arrested on suspicion of human trafficking while, in Blackpool, eight vehicles were seized, five drug consignments recovered and two people were charged with drugs offences.
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Nine men and two women were arrested in the Blackpool raids, which Lancashire Police said were part of an operation that “focused on intelligence drugs gangs from Liverpool were expanding their operations into Blackpool, exploiting children and vulnerable people to sell drugs”.
That information suggested the town was being targeted by ‘county lines’ gangs - city-based networks that seek to control the drug markets of other cities and towns from afar, typically through forcing addicts and children to work for them on the frontline.
The authorities believe only London is a bigger exporter of such criminality than Merseyside.
Chief Superintendent Karen Edwards, of Lancashire Police, said: “This operation is designed to hit criminals hard but also make sure young and vulnerable people who have been criminally exploited are treated sensitively and with understanding.
“Working cross-border with other police forces is key in disrupting and dismantling county lines and putting offenders behind bars.
“We are sending out a strong message this criminal activity will not be tolerated and we will continue to work together with our partners and regional forces to disrupt anyone involved in county lines and bring them to justice.”
On Friday, warrants were carried out in Coventry and Leamington Spa as part of a Merseyside Police investigation into human trafficking and county lines drugs supply.
A 19-year-old man from Coventry was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking, offering to supply Class A and B drugs and possession with intent to supply Class B drugs
A second man, aged 54 and from Leamington Spa, was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking.
The operations were both backed by Merseyside Police’s Project Medusa, an operation specifically targeting the region’s county lines networks both on Merseyside and in the communities across the UK they are targeting.
Detective Inspector Gary Stratton, of Merseyside Police, said: "Project Medusa is committed to cutting county lines and this type of activity will continue day in day out to take those criminals, who endanger and exploit young and vulnerable people, off our streets.
"County lines drug dealing not only affects the lives of the drug users, but also the communities in which they operate and the young and vulnerable people who are exploited by these criminals.
"We hope these arrests and warrants send a message out to others involved in this type of criminality that we will take action and you will be arrested and put before the courts."
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