A man from Witley was among the 19 people arrested following the largest-ever drugs raid in west Surrey.

They have been convicted of supplying class A drugs, including cocaine and heroin, and have been sentenced to a total of 21 years and four months in prison.

Of the 19 convicted, 11 received prison sentences, with seven being sentenced to drug treatment and testing orders and one being sentenced to a community rehabilitation order.

Damien Warner, 19, from Witley was sentenced to an 18-month community rehabilitation order in March, 2003, for being concerned in the supply of ecstasy

The convictions of two of the men last week concludes Operation Zoom, a series of raids in January, 2003, aimed at significantly disrupting the flow of class A drugs in Waverley and Guildford.

More than 250 officers, including detectives, dog handlers, search teams and rapid- entry units, searched addresses in Guildford,as well as Fleet, Slough, Knaphill, and Basingstoke.

Twenty five people were arrested as part of the operation, on suspicion of offences including dealing class A drugs, theft of a motor vehicle, and possession of cannabis.

Property, including hundreds of pounds' worth of drugs, cash, suspected stolen property and a number of weapons, including a knife and a baseball bat, was recovered following the operation.

Operation Zoom was carried out after intelligence sources identified a steady increase in the availability of crack cocaine in West Surrey.

This resulted in the covert deployment of police officers in a test-purchase operation, which began in October, 2002, to gather direct evidence against known dealers and disrupt the supply network and the criminal activity closely associated with it.

Vehicle crime and burglaries across Waverley and Guildford fell by 32.4 per cent following the execution of Operation Zoom, with a total number of 102 vehicle and burglary offences recorded for the week ending January 19, compared to a total of 69 crimes for the week ending February 16.

West Surrey Superintendent Kevin Deanus said: "The imprisonment of these drugs dealers sends out a clear message that we will not tolerate drug dealing in west Surrey.

"By targeting these drug dealers, and taking them off the streets, we reduced the supply of illegal drugs and we reduced crime.

"This outstandingly successful operation involved a great deal of professional work from highly courageous and dedicated officers. We have also had support from members of the local community in response to identified drugs problems.

"We have also worked closely with our partner agencies, including ACORN, to ensure that these offenders are not only punished for their crimes but are also offered treatment to help them overcome their drug habit."

Supt Deanus continued: "I want people to know that despite these excellent results, we are not willing to rest on our laurels. We will deploy whatever resources are necessary to tackle drug dealers head on and we will win.

"We depend on local communities to pass on information to us, and I would appeal to anyone with any information about the supply of illegal drugs to get in touch with us. If they want to remain anonymous, they can call Surrey Crimestoppers free of charge on 0800 555 111."

Surrey Police worked closely with partner agencies following the operation, including the Surrey drugs agency, ACORN, to ensure that anyone requesting assistance with treatment was able to access it.

Two drug-referral workers were present on the day of the operation, with a fast-track, drugs-treatment programme offered to all offenders brought into custody.

Edith Brown, general manager of ACORN, said: "As an NHS service provided by Surrey Hampshire Borders NHS Trust, ACORN is proud of its work linking treatment options to sentencing for drug using offenders within our community clinics.

"For three years, ACORN, in partnership with Surrey Police, has provided a team of arrest referral workers, based in police stations throughout Surrey.

"This team reported for duty at 6 am to support officers on the morning of Operation Zoom and this led to some very positive results.

"Both Surrey Police and ACORN acknowledge that if drug users can be helped, by treatment, to cease their dependency on drugs, the likelihood of them offending will most certainly be reduced.

"Surrey Police are excellent partners and this joint initiative with a forward-thinking NHS Trust, is leading to safer Surrey communities."