Fifteen arrests and drugs seized in police operation
Devon and Cornwall Police are among the forces involved in OpD Scorpion
Fifteen people have been arrested in Devon and Cornwall and thousands of pounds' worth of drugs have been seized in a major police operation in the South West.
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.
Figures just released show that across the region there were:
64 arrests
ÂŁ152,173 worth of drugs seized
ÂŁ198,088 cash seized
29 weapons were seized
28 vulnerable people safeguarded
As well as a quantity of clothing, motorbikes and high value cars were also seized
In Devon and Cornwall the results were:
15 people were arrested, of which 5 have been charged with various offences
25 people have been safeguarded, 17 adults and 8 children
ÂŁ170 worth of vapes containing THC have also been seized.
The largest single seizure was of cocaine with ÂŁ9,360 in Cornwall.
Another Class A seizure was of heroin worth ÂŁ3,500.
Cannabis packages were also seized totalling approximately ÂŁ7,000 and also over ÂŁ11,000 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 ÂŁ20,000.
Assistant Chief Constable Jim Pearce said: “Devon & 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 Op 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.”