Police crackdown on cannabis

MORE THAN 112 PEOPLE ARRESTED AND 868 CANNABIS PLANTS CONFISCATED AS POLICE TAKE ACTION ACROSS THE SW

- By KIRSTIE MCCRUM

POLICE have seized 868 cannabis plants in a major crackdown on illegal drugs across the South West.

More than a hundred people have been arrested across the region after police forces worked together to tackle drugs and child criminal exploitation (CCE).

In total, across the South West, more than 112 people were arrested, more than £67,329 cash was seized and more than 52kg of cannabis was confiscated, including 868 cannabis plants.

Three guns were recovered, as well as five imitation firearms, and more than 48 people were safe guarded, including five children.

The seizures were as a result of a range of enforcement activity, including the execution of arrest and search warrants, vehicle stops and the use of drones to track suspected dealers.

Police from Avon and Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire have been working under Operation Scorpion alongside their respective offices of Police and Crime Commissioners, the British Transport Police and South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SW ROCU).

In addition, vulnerable people were safeguarded, with several people identified from the phones seized from suspected dealers and sent text messages with details of support services.