A MAN from near York has been arrested after police allegedly saw drugs being thrown from a car he was in.

North Yorkshire Police said they stopped a silver Vauxhall Astra on the M62, near its junction with the A19, and arrested a 40-year-old Dunnington man.

The force said he was seen throwing crack cocaine from the car.

The arrest was part of the force's ongiong "Operation Hawk" initiative, which aims to catch those travelling between North Yorkshire and other counties.

Dozens of officers in marked and unmarked police vehicles were involved in the operation last weekend.

The Dunnington man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a class A drug, perverting the course of justice and driving while disqualified on a different occasion, said a force spokeswoman.

He has been released on bail pending further inquiries.

She said about 20 per cent of all detected crime in North Yorkshire was committed by criminals travelling from neighbouring areas and Operation Hawk aims to track and disrupt them.

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Kennedy, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "Operation Hawk continues to send a clear message to travelling criminals: if you use our road networks to commit offences, there is a very good chance that we will catch you. Our £1m investment in ANPR means it is increasingly difficult for offenders to get in and out of North Yorkshire without being spotted.

"We will actively hunt down suspects to their homes and, as Friday's operation shows, even travel to other force areas if necessary.

"People living in rural communities near Selby and across North Yorkshire can be reassured that these proactive operations will continue and more arrests will be made, until travelling criminals get the message that they are not welcome in North Yorkshire."