DRUG dealers were targeted in a series of simultaneous early morning police raids this week.
Officers smashed down the doors at 13 houses around Barnsley on Monday and Tuesday, making 16 arrests.
The raids marked the culmination of six months' work as Operation Mantis moved into its main phase. About 150 officers were used over two days as police reacted to public concern about the amount of class-A drugs being openly traded in the town centre.
Det Insp Alex Hughes led the operation and said a great deal of covert policing had taken place before the raids were possible. The surveillance work identified 16 suspected dealers.
"We had to deploy covert tactics and collate evidence. As opposed to it being a quick fix we are co-ordinating our approach so we take all the dealers out and try to stem the flow of others coming in to replace them.
"If you are going to do something you do it right. We are giving it all we have got."
