In a jolting reminder of how deeply the ice scourge is embedded in the community, Wagga Wagga Local Area Command Superintendent Bob Noble yesterday claimed kids as young as seven were being forced to screen drug buyers at the front door of some dealers’ homes.

It comes after 30 arrests – many for dealing ice – were made in Wagga as part of last month’s Operation Calyx, the largest drug bust operation in living memory.

“We’ve come across instances where kids that were not far out of nappies were unwittingly being used as concierges,” Superintendent Noble said.

“We’re not saying they were complicit in the enterprise, but they would answer the door and say ‘what do you want?’; the person would say they want to ‘get on’ and then the child would say ‘I’ll get mum’.

“It’s one of these things that provides an extra layer of insulation (for dealers). They were a buffer at the front door.”

A juvenile was among those to front court last month following the unprecedented drug operation which involved 110 police who swarmed into Wagga.

Almost 30 people were arrested and more than 100 charges laid after Wagga police executed multiple search warrants in the middle of last month as a part of Strike Force Calyx.

Police are now not ruling out the possibility that they form part of a larger drug network or are have connections to statewide organised crime gangs.

"There’s certainly some linkage between individuals we've apprehended today,” Superintendent Noble said at the time of the arrests.

“In terms of a sophisticated drug network ... there's no doubt there's a degree of sophistication and co-ordination between some individuals."

Superintendent Noble said the Wagga LAC was no exception to a national drug epidemic, with varying quantities of methamphetamine, cannabis, MDMA and ecstasy seized.

Motor vehicles, motor cycles, tools, stolen goods, and more than $40,000 cash was also located.

Police believe a wave of break-ins and thefts in the lead-up to last month’s raids was spurred by drug use. They also believe the arrests will ease the issue.

Strike Force Calyx formed in February to investigate the supply of ice, MDMA and cannabis.