194 arrests in South West police’s drug crackdown
THE full scale of the measures to crackdown on the supply of drugs via so called “county lines” has emerged after a week-long operation across the South West.
Five of the region’s police forces, British Transport Police and the South West Regional Crime Agency produced a huge haul of suspects, cash and drugs.
Operation Scorpion was launched on March 7, specifically to target cross-border drugs supply activities involving a large number of county lines dealers and saw officers batter down doors and search numerous addresses, cars and individuals.
The operation resulted in 194 arrests in connection with drugsrelated offences, 55 warrants carried out, 400 drug line disruptions, £404k (at least) of suspected drugs seized, £131k (at least) of cash seized, 320 vulnerability / welfare checks carried out and people safeguarded.
A vast array of weapons, including tasers, knives and machetes, were also seized.
The five regional police services – Devon and Cornwall, Avon and Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire – worked alongside their respective offices of Police and Crime Commissioners, British Transport Police, South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SW ROCU) and the charity Crimestoppers.
Regional boundaries were temporarily suspended – just as criminals engaging in drugs activity do – to collectively disrupt the South West drugs market, dismantle drugs supply networks and arrest those who profit from the misery of others.
The operation coincided with the National County Lines Intensification Week which was led by the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) and saw police use a range of tactics, including enhanced surveillance of the road and transport networks, increased high visibility patrols in areas of high demand, carrying out warrants at addresses used for drug dealing and welfare checks on vulnerable people.
Speaking on behalf of the five regional police forces, the Assistant Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police, Mark Cooper, said: “This operation is about combining the resources, intelligence and enforcement powers of all the police forces across the South West to create a ‘ring of steel’ against organised criminals looking to cause harm in this part of the country.
“We know that those who supply and distribute illegal drugs operate in a borderless way, creating complex networks of drugs lines in our towns and cities, and we need to mirror that if we are going to be successful in taking a strong and robust stance against this sort of criminality.”
In Devon and Cornwall, police made 20 arrests, and seized approximately £21,000 worth of drugs and £7,600 in cash.
They also disrupted 21 drugs’ supply lines and made 21 safeguarding and vulnerability visits to those potentially being exploited.
The specialist teams from South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) made more than 30 arrests of people suspected of transporting drugs by road into the region, following an operation using the Automatic Number Plate Recognition system. Among the drug seizures were £20k’s worth of heroin and £16k’s worth of cocaine from suspected County Line dealers based in the North West.