Seven drug dealers in Scunthorpe have been jailed following an undercover operation, which was assisted by an Evening Telegraph campaign.

Operation Urchin, which targeted known or suspected drug dealers, followed the Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph’s successful Shop a Dealer campaign, which it ran in 1998, when readers rang two confidential hotlines to pass on vital information.

Following the campaign, a dossier of information that had been gathered from readers’ calls was passed on to police, including new names and addresses of suspected dealers.

The details were then used as the plans for Operation Urchin were drawn up, and 15 addresses were later raided.

Seven drug dealers in Scunthorpe have now been jailed as a direct result of the operation.

Det Insp Dave Cressey, who led the operation, said: “This is virtually the conclusion of a long-running case. We set out to start an operation to try to make inroads into the drug problem in the Scunthorpe area.

“We did this with the assistance of the general public and after a strong lead from the Evening Telegraph’s Shop a Dealer campaign.

“The court has now given each individual the punishment it felt they deserved and I am pleased that the operation has been brought to a successful conclusion.”

Evening Telegraph editor Michelle Lalor said: “The Scunthorpe Telegraph cares about its community and the work on Shop a Dealer was an ideal example of how a local newspaper can improve the lives of those living and working in North Lincolnshire.

“We are happy to be part of anything that achieves that aim.”

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