Zombie knives and machetes found during drug raids
Lancashire PoliceZombie knives, machetes, cash, phones and white powder have been seized during drug raids in Lancashire.
Officers searched homes and made arrests in Accrington as part of Operation Shore, a clampdown on the illegal Class B drug ketamine.
Lancashire Police said 32 arrests were made, ranging in age between 15 and 55.
Ch Insp Chris Abbott said the raids were conducted "based on community information and intelligence". He added that "organised gangs are exploiting our young people".
Abbot said the supply of drugs occurred "across our communities" in Lancashire, and "the more information we have, the more action that we can take".
Lancashire's Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Kimberley Whitehead said ketamine was "a big deal", with "more and more increases in people taking ketamine, particularly for young people".
Lancashire Police said there had been 294 ketamine-related offences recorded during the past three years, with a year-on-year increase during that period.
However, the force said it believed the issue was under-reported, based on information gathered from healthcare providers and local drug treatment services.
The force conducted 19 warrants across a week of action, seizing suspected drugs, weapons, and more than £26,900 in cash.
Ketamine is widely used in the NHS as an anaesthetic, sedative and pain reliever, and is also commonly used on animals.
On the black market it is a Class B drug, meaning it is illegal to take, carry, make or sell.
Misuse can cause pain in the stomach and back, a frequent and urgent need to urinate, blood in the urine, and sometimes incontinence.
According to a government report, the number of people being treated for ketamine misuse in 2025 in England was more than 12 times higher than in 2015.
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