Drugs worth £500,000 seized in NI

3 October 2012 Last updated at 02:15 ET

Drugs worth almost 500,000 have been seized in the first two weeks of a police initiative against street dealing across Northern Ireland.

Operation Torus has seen police carry out 2,148 searches and make 352 arrests.

It has been supported by a billboard and social media campaign to encourage people to report drug dealing.

Assistant Chief Constable Drew Harris said he was not surprised by the response.

"Drug dealing is an issue of concern for all communities and tackling the supply, distribution and sale of illegal drugs is a policing priority," he said.

"We will continue in our robust efforts to disrupt and arrest those involved in the sale and supply of drugs, bring individuals before the courts and work with communities and partner agencies to reduce the threat of harmful and illegal activity."

The drugs found during the searches have included cannabis, herbal cannabis, cocaine, mephadrone and prescription drugs.

The PSNI has also doubled the number of dogs trained in the detection of drugs.

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Drugs worth £500,000 seized in NI