The arrests of the men aged 24 and 25 followed raids on five addresses in Keighley and Bradford on Wednesday.

A significant quantity of suspected drugs, an imitation firearm, cash and documentation were found at the properties searched.

Det Insp Peter Craig said: "The warrants were part of an ongoing investigation into organised crime involving local gangs. Part of this inquiry is focusing on so called 'cash for crash' and has uncovered large-scale fraud involving contrived motor vehicle insurance claims and money laundering."

"This latest action together with ongoing work targeting these gangs, should reassure the community that these criminal networks are being dismantled and sends out a message that such criminality will be robustly investigated and prosecuted."

A total of 21 police officers from Airedale and North Bradford CID worked in conjunction with representatives from the Insurance Fraud Bureau and the Ministry of Justice in the operation.

John Beadle, Chairman from the Insurance Fraud Bureau said: "The IFB is working with West Yorkshire Police to address the growing problem of 'crash for cash' scams where members of organised criminal gangs either submit fictitious accident claims or, more seriously, actively use public roads to perform dangerous manoeuvres in order to cause innocent motorists to collide with vehicles driven by the gang members who then pursue claims against the insurer of their target vehicle."

"The gangs engaged in this type of criminal activity are ruthless and have no regard for the personal safety of innocent road-users, whose lives are being put at ris," he added.

The ABI estimates that insurance fraud adds approximately 5 per cent to all premiums. Anyone with information on insurance fraud or who fears they may have been a victim of a staged accident is ask to to call the ABI free confidential Cheatline on 0800 328 2550.