SEVERAL men have been charged with drugs offences following police raids in Suffolk, Merseyside and Norfolk yesterday.

Shortly after 7am on Tuesday, June 7, officers raided homes in Liverpool, Norwich, the Lowestoft area and Ipswich. Eleven people were arrested during the morning operation, with a further two men from the Greater Manchester area arrested in Suffolk later in the day.

The arrests follow a lengthy investigation led by Suffolk Police, which centred on the supply of Class A drugs in Liverpool and their distribution in Ipswich and Lowestoft.

Detectives from Suffolk's Organised Crime Directorate have been working with counterparts from Merseyside Police and Norfolk Constabulary for several months.

Three people from Lowestoft have so far each been charged with one count of conspiring to supply Class A drugs (cocaine). Steven Jackson, a 44-year-old boatbuilder from Old Nelson Street; Stephen Palmer, a 43-year-old boatbuilder from Denmark Road and Glen Parr, a 29-year-old unemployed man from Dell Road in Oulton Broad have all been released on police bail until their appearance at Ipswich Magistrates Court tomorrow (Thursday, June 9).

They will be joined by two men from Wigan who have also each been charged with one count of conspiring to supply Class A drugs (cocaine). Andrew Roberts, a 28-year-old electrician from Keats Avenue and 26-year-old unemployed Wesley Gale from Gidlow Lane are also on police bail until their court appearance.

Two people from Norwich, a 24-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman are continuing to be questioned by detectives at a police station in Suffolk, as is a 29-year-old man from Lowestoft.

Two men from the Lowestoft area, aged 35 and 49, and a 25-year-old man from Ipswich have all been released on police bail until Tuesday, July 19 pending further enquiries.

A 50-year-old woman from Liverpool has been released on police bail until Thursday, August 25 pending further enquiries while her 26-year-old son, Andrew Curry from Melverley Road in the town, has been charged with one count of being in possession of a Class A drug and one count of being in possession of a Class B drug. He has been released on police bail prior to his appearance at Knowsley Magistrates Court on Friday, June 24.