Five men were arrested today as police launched early morning raids on suspected drug dealers at nine addresses in Wolverhampton.

Detectives targeted homes at Bilston, All Saints, Woodcross and Ettingshall in a co-ordinated strike on suspects.

This afternoon officers said they had recovered a quantity of Class A drugs, thought to be either heroin or crack cocaine.

But they were refusing to reveal details of exactly where the raids took place for “operational reasons”.

Those arrested were said to be in their 20s and 30s and were held as part of Operation Engage, Wolverhampton police’s blitz on drugs and gun gangs which was launched in 2005.

A large number of officers, some wearing riot gear, were seen gathering at Bilston Street police station at around 6am.

A convoy of police riot vans was lined up in nearby Tower Street, along with an unmarked Range Rover.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Hyde, of Bilston Street police, said he was pleased with the way the operation had gone.

“This is part of Operation Engage, an ongoing operation to remove the supply of class A drugs and weapons within Wolverhampton.

“There will be further inquiries today.”

Today West Midlands Police spokesman Steve Garey said: “We will not be releasing details of the addresses for operational reasons.”

In the months after Engage was launched, 25 Wolverhampton drug dealers were jailed for a total of 45 years.

The men and a woman who were the main targets of the operation were handed sentences of up to three-and-a-half years each for their role in the city’s drugs trade. More than £100,000 of drugs were seized along with an arsenal of weapons – including a 9mm with 17 rounds.