Police have arrested seven people in an investigation into the exploitation of missing animals.
All arrests were made in Barrow today.
The arrests follow an investigation, across 15 police forces, following reports that people with missing animals had been targeted and blackmailed via social media for money.
Victims of blackmail have included people from across the UK and in Cumbria. There are currently 21 reported victims.
Four men, aged 19, 22, 30 and 37 and three women aged 36, 38 and 40, all from Barrow, were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to commit blackmail and money laundering.
They currently remain in police custody.
