A police operation targeting the supply of Class A drugs to the County Town was launched at dawn on Wednesday.

About 250 police officers swooped on homes believed to be linked to the drugs trade including an alleged "crackhouse" in Willington Street.

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Operation Morse targeted Shepway, Mangravet and the town centre, and comes after a four month investigation by police.

Forty warrants were executed and 25 people were arrested in connection with drug offences.

The alleged crackhouse was closed down.

Ch Insp Ian Hall, the borough commander for Maidstone, said: "Maidstone does not have a drugs problem, but what has been identified is the potential for drugs and the associated crime to become an issue if left unchallenged.

"This activity has been put in place to stop the Class A drugs network taking hold and the impact on people’s quality of life that this can have.

"What follows now is an eight-week consolidation period, with work by police, Maidstone Borough and Kent County Councils, Maidstone Housing Trust and drugs treatment agencies in the communities where raids have been carried out.

"This co-ordinated effort will ensure that the neighbourhoods who have felt the impact from this operation get the support they deserve to make a real and lasting difference and ensure the problem doesn’t resurface.

"I would like to thank our partners for their involvement and also to the wealth of community intelligence we received, without which this operation would not have been possible."

Read more in this Friday's Kent Messenger