A MAJOR undercover drugs operation has seen more than £1million of heroin seized by police.

Twenty five people have been arrested as Operation Jasper has also seen more than £75,000 of crack cocaine removed from the streets of East Lancashire.

The arrests come as 17 men, including an 80-year-old from Oswaldtwistle, were charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Police have warned there will be further arrests as enquiries remain ongoing to locate other suspects linked to drug dealing in the region.

Operation Jasper started in late 2015 and targeted the supply and suppliers of Class A drugs.

Detectives said the operation focussed specifically on heroin and crack cocaine, which were sold on the streets of Blackburn.

A police spokesman said men in Blackburn with close ties to Merseyside were identified as being responsible for this supply network and also linked to the importation of heroin.

In February of this year, detectives carried out a convert operation at Manchester airport resulting in the recovery of more than 11 kilos of Heroin with a street value estimated to be in excess of £1million pounds, the spokesman said.

Other raids resulted in the recovery of multiple street level quantities of Class A drugs.

A police spokesman said: “During an arrest phase earlier this month, in excess of half a kilo of high purity cocaine was recovered with a street value estimated to be in the region of £70,000. Other seizures include the recovery of £10,000 in cash and high value motor vehicles.

“To date, there have been in excess of 25 arrests.

“Further arrests are planned.”

Seventeen men have now been have charged with conspiracy to supply both Heroin and crack cocaine and will appear before a judge at Preston Crown Court on November 14.

They are: Terence Killeya, 80, of Broadfield Terrace, Oswaldtwistle; Kadeer Hussain, 40, of Kempton Rise, Blackburn; Maqshud Mohammed, 42, of Ash Street, Blackburn; Nasam Ali, 42, of Hareclough Close, Blackburn; Omar Qasam, 37, of Bethesda Close, Blackburn; Hassan Rahman, 25, of Logwood Street, Blackburn; Mohammed Ismail, 27, of Shear Brow, Blackburn; Rizwan Khalid, 27, of Boland Street, Blackburn; Ricky Williamson, 39, of Oxford Close, Blackburn; Michael Whalley, 40, of Clifton Street, Darwen; Ali Akhbar Hussain, 34, of Warrington Street, Blackburn; Toni Walker, 29, of Canal Street, Church, Accrington; Patrick Leggat, 40, of Dunoon Drive, Blackburn; Christopher Leigh, 42, of Great Bolton Street, Blackburn; Sameer Ainarkar, 37, of Hozier Street, Blackburn; Kabbir Hussain, aka Manier Hussain, 45, of Lance Close, Liverpool and James Donohue, 26, of Wentworth Drive, Liverpool.