Three 18-year-olds have been arrested by police after concerns a Thanet resident had been "cuckooed" by drug dealers.

Officers attended a property in Grosvenor Place, Margate, on Saturday morning following the reports.

Cuckooing is a term for when county line networks take over the home of a vulnerable person so they can use it as a base from which to deal drugs in an area.

On arriving at the property, officers spotted two men trying to leave through a back garden.

One of the men was seen to throw an object away as police approached, and both men were arrested on suspicion of possession of drugs with intent to supply.

It was later discovered that one of the men, an 18-year-old from Ilford in east London, was wanted by the Metropolitan Police in connection with an attempted murder investigation following an incident in London last Wednesday.

After searching the two men and the Margate property, police seized a large quantity of suspected heroin and crack cocaine, a mobile phone, and more than £2,000 in cash.

On the same day, a further suspect was arrested in Maidstone town centre on suspicion of drugs offences as part of the same investigation.

The two 18-year-old men arrested in Margate and the 18-year-old man arrested in Maidstone have since been bailed until March 3, while an investigation continues.

Thanet District Commander Chief Inspector Rhiannan Pepper said: "Kent Police is determined to make the county a no-go area for county line groups and I am pleased the proactive work of officers has led to the seizure of suspected drugs and the arrest of three suspects.

"An investigation into activities at this property is ongoing and we will be seeking the prosecution of anyone involved in drug dealing so we can continue to protect vulnerable people in the district."

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