WHILE most of the people of the region were sleeping peacefully in their beds yesterday morning, a gang believed to be behind a multi-million crack cocaine network were receiving a rude awakening.

After a briefing at the Riverside Stadium, in Middlesbrough, a convoy of police vehicles set out just after 6am for a series of simultaneous raids at homes across the area.

Less than ten minutes later, the front door of a flat in the Gresham area of Middlesbrough, had been smashed in by one of the police units.

Two people from the flat, in Essex Street, had been arrested overnight and the raid was targeting a third person, who was believed to be part of the drugs network.

A Jamaican woman in her 20s, described as the gang's communications hub in the North-East, was led from the property and taken into custody in an unmarked police car.

Police recovered a quantity of crack cocaine from the flat, with several mobile phones.

Neighbours who had been woken by the police helicopter hovering over the area, came out to see what was happening in the previously deserted street of terraced houses.

The general reaction was one of delight that a suspected drug dealer had been removed from their midst.

Maureen Chilver said: "I think it's brilliant. This area is going down because of these people, and these raids help to clear it up. It shows the other dealers who think they can't be touched, that they can. It's nice to see these people are being dealt with by the police."

Neighbour Billy Harrison, said: "It's not just the drugs, it's all the trouble it brings.

"We are glad to see the back of these people. It's a good thing that the police are getting on top of it."

Cleveland Chief Constable Sean Price, who joined his officers on the Essex Street raid, said: "We are sending out a strong message that we don't want crack cocaine in this area, and we are willing to go as far as we need to go to cut off the supply."

Councillor Dave McLuckie, chairman of Cleveland Police Authority, said: "We've taken out a massive drug dealing network here in Middlesbrough today.

"This group are prolific dealers - people come from all over the area to buy drugs from them.

"Our next job is to find out who the Mr Bigs are and take them out."

In Darlington, police raided a house in Burnside Road, Firthmoor, arresting a woman.

Residents reported seeing police vans outside the property early in the morning.

A friend of the owner of the property said the arrested woman did not live in the house.

The friend said: "She was just helping out a friend like everybody does. They don't do drugs and it's breaking her heart, all this.

"She's in a terrible state, it wasn't her fault at all."