FIVE men have appeared in court charged with supplying heroin.

They were among 13 people arrested in Nelson after a huge police operation on Wednesday morning.

Two other men have also been charged with possession with intent to supply class A drugs, after more than 100 officers raided 12 homes.

The five, who appeared at Burnley Magistrates’ Court yesterday, are Shujaht Khan, 21, of St Paul’s Road; Shaun Lally, 27, of Burns Street; Abid Rafique, 37, of Gordon Road; Vincas Urbonaviciuis, 38, of Every Street; and Abid Ali, 32, of Victoria Street, all in Nelson.

They will appear again at Burnley Crown Court on March 11.

Damien Drury, 34, of Larch Street and Ali Hassan Shah, 21, of Victoria Avenue, both Nelson, will appear at Burnley Magistrates' Court on February 7.

A further five people have been released on bail and one man was released without charge.

Police said the operation, codenamed Aba, was the climax of intelligence and evidence-gathering over the past six months and was part of a wider, ongoing operation in Pendle, codenamed Regenerate.