MORE than 60 arrests were made across the South West and drugs worth more than £150,000 were seized in a week-long series of police raids.

Devon and Cornwall Police have revealed that huge quantities of crack cocaine, cannabis and heroin; weapons including a number of firearms, a Samurai sword, machete and knives, were also recovered in the latest phase of Operation Scorpion an initiative involving the South West’s five police forces. 

Figures reveal that across the region, 64 arrests were made, more than £152,000 worth of drugs was seized, with a further £198,088 in cash seized, 29 weapons were seized, and 28 vulnerable people were safeguarded as part of the operation.

During the seven days of operations from June 10-16, police teams across the South West targeted gangs and addresses of suspected drugs dealers and suppliers; stepped-up patrols of known hotspots and used technology to disrupt so-called county-lines activities. 

Regional drugs intensification weeks like Operation Scorpion are a collaboration between the five police forces in the South West region – Dorset, Devon and Cornwall, Avon and Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.

The region’s five Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), the British Transport Police, South West Regional Organised Crime Unit and the independent charity Crimestoppers are also combining their resources to tackle drug supply in the region and make the South West a hostile environment for those who deal drugs and engage in anti-social drug taking activity.

The scale of Operation Scorpion 8 across Devon and Cornwall is reflected in the results:

The largest single seizure was of cocaine with £9,360 in Cornwall. Another Class A seizure was of heroin worth £3,500. Cannabis packages were also seized totalling approximately £7,000 and also over £11,000 worth of cash was seized. Additional packages of both Class A and Class B drugs and a cannabis grow were also intercepted to a value of £20,000.

Assistant Chief Constable Jim Pearce said: “Devon and Cornwall Police is committed to working with our partners and other forces in the region, to stop the flow of drugs into our counties and to disrupt the associated criminal activity, during intensified operations like Operation Scorpion all year round.

“In Devon and Cornwall, Operation Scorpion 8 has denied approximately £40,220 worth of drugs, weapons and cash to criminal gangs and individuals, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.

“We also want to bring relief to communities blighted by the antisocial behaviour, crime and fear which accompanies the misuse of drugs, and to safeguard vulnerable people. The results of Operation Scorpion 8 show we are achieving this, and I cannot overemphasise how important the intelligence we receive from the public is in helping us to target our resources.”

Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said: “Every effort taken by the police is one more drug dealer or drug supply disrupted. Our communities are sick of drug dealers exploiting our children and those adults who can’t fend for themselves. I will continue prioritising drugs in this term of office and support the police in every way I can to keep up the momentum.”