Latest phase in regional drug operation
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More than £150,000 worth of drugs was taken off Gloucestershire's streets during a week-long regional crackdown aimed at disrupting the South West drugs market.
It was part of joint work by five police forces across the South West to create a metaphorical ‘ring of steel’ around the region in order to dismantle drug supply networks and create an inhospitable environment for criminals.
The operation, called 'Vanquish' in Gloucestershire, is a collaboration between police forces in Dorset, Devon & Cornwall, Avon & Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, their respective Police and Crime Commissioners, British Transport Police, the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SW ROCU), and the charity Crimestoppers.
The focus was on targeting visible street dealing and the impact of drug activity within our local communities.
In Gloucestershire, over 20 vulnerable people were engaged with and safeguarded as a result of the work, and a zombie knife, extendable baton and two machetes were seized during the enforcement action.
The operation also highlighted the importance of intelligence from local people to help police support communities across the region while demonstrating how the 'ring of steel' around the South West makes it harder for criminals to cross borders into the region to conduct crime.
It also coincided with National County Lines Intensification Week (Monday 4 March - Sunday 10 March 2024) which saw police crackdown on drugs activities through targeted warrant executions, visible policing in hotspot areas, address checks known to have been linked to cuckooing, patrols along the travel networks of the South West and robust efforts to safeguard vulnerable individuals.
Across the South West region as a whole, the operation led to:
- 126 arrests
- Over £814,000 worth of drugs seized (including one seizure of three bottles of Methadone, five Valium tablets, 166 MDMA tablets, tobacco and vapes with a value of £500,000)
- Over £95,000 cash seized
- 67 weapons seized and over 200 weapons surrendered by the public
- 135 vulnerable people safeguarded
Neil Corrigan, Assistant Chief Constable of Dorset Police, representing the five forces said: “This was a large operation involving both uniform and plain clothes officers across the region to disrupt drug activity and support local communities.
“The activity carried out as part of Operation Scorpion was centred on the intelligence and information received from local communities about individuals involved in drug supply.
“Using information reported to police and CrimeStoppers, forces were able to build up a picture of what illegal activity was happening and use the intelligence to inform how and where we would target our operational activity.
“I would like to thank the public for the information they have provided and reinforce the importance of community intelligence to the success of operations like this.
"Please continue to contact us with information and report any concerns you may have, whether in relation to drug activity, vulnerable people being exploited or any other suspicious activity and help us make the South West a hostile environment for drug related crime.”
Police and Crime Commissioner Chris Nelson attended a number of warrants and activities during the intensification week.
He said: "I was again pleased to see the success of the seventh round of the regional anti-drugs operation. It has been thoroughly planned and well executed by our hard working officers. This week of intensification focuses on relentlessly pursuing those causing harm to our communities. But it is also about raising awareness and sharing crime prevention messages to steer people away from crime and drugs in the first place.
"I relish the partnership working that this operation always provides. As South West OPCCs and police forces, we come together to show the pursuit of offenders has no borders.
"And we know that drug related crimes are everywhere, not just in city centres. A rural county like Gloucestershire feels the effects of drugs right across it – from the Forest of Dean to the Cotswolds and our towns and city in between.
"Gloucestershire, and the whole of the South West is no place for drugs."
Anyone with information about illegal drugs activity should report it to their local police service online or via 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.
Alternatively you can pass information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers. They are available 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year on 0800 555 111 or you can use their non-traceable online form. Contact will remain 100% anonymous. Always.
They will never ask for a name or contact details and the phone call or online report will never be traced. If the information supplied leads to an arrest and charge, there could be a cash reward of up to £1,000.