A LARGE haul of drugs and money has been seized by police after officers raided 12 properties.

The operation was part of a crackdown on the sale and supply of drugs in the south east of England.

Police say the raids on Tuesday evening will have “an immediate impact on the availability of Class A drugs in the Brighton and Shoreham area”.

Officers seized a total of 10kg of Class A drugs and £60,000 in cash during the operation.

Detective Inspector Gail Lilley, from the Met’s Flying Squad, said: “Today’s arrests are a continued and concerted effort by law enforcement to stop and arrest those involved in the supply of Class A drugs who often have, or show, very little sympathy for the chaos or violence that comes with it.

“Organised criminal networks that think they can use encrypted devices, such as EncroChat, to smuggle drugs or weapons into and around the country are now looking over their shoulders as they know that police forces throughout the UK are working together to arrest and prosecute them for their crimes.

“Today’s action is a prime example of officers from different police forces coming together to dismantle organised criminal networks and seize their ill-gotten gains.”

During the operation, one kilogram of cocaine and £10,000 was discovered at Sussex addresses.

Properties in May Road and Glenfall Avenue in Brighton, Foredown Drive in Portslade and Greenways Crescent in Shoreham all received unexpected visits from police.

The operation resulted in nine arrests in total with a 26-year-old woman being detained along with eight men aged between 21 and 47.

Three of these men were arrested in Sussex.

The raids took place in the midst of an ongoing investigation into the large scale supply of Class A drugs identified within the Met, Kent and Sussex areas.

Detective Inspector Julie Wakeford of the Surrey and Sussex Serious Organised Crime Unit said: “This is a great example of how forces can work together to disrupt crime groups.

“This operation will have an immediate impact on the availability of Class A drugs in the Brighton and Shoreham area and we will continue to work hard to ensure that the disruption of this supply network is long term.”

The action was also part of “Operational Eternal” - the Met’s probe into suspects believed to be using encrypted devices to commit crimes.