28 arrested in drug crackdown across Devon and Cornwall

Twenty-eight people have been arrested in Devon and Cornwall as part of a major crackdown on drug-related crime.

Operation Scorpion 9, across five police force areas in the South West, aimed to disrupt drug markets, dismantle organised crime groups, and safeguard communities from the harm associated with drug crime, including serious violence and anti-social behaviour.

Alongside the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit, Devon & Cornwall Police worked alongside neighbouring forces, sharing intelligence and resources. The operation included intelligence-led vehicle stops and property searches.

Devon & Cornwall Police made 28 arrests, with three individuals charged and two already convicted of drug-related offences. Over seven kilograms of Class A drugs, including more than 5 kilograms of cocaine, along with 3,000 doses of ecstasy and 3.99 kilograms of cannabis, were also seized.

In total, across the five force areas, Operation Scorpion 9 resulted in 117 arrests for drug-related offences, including possession, supply, trafficking, drug importation, and drug driving.

Chief Superintendent Sheon Sturland of Devon & Cornwall Police said:

“Much of the activity for Operation Scorpion 9 was based around intelligence received from the public and other sources, which informed an extensive operation using ANPR at static locations across the region and installed in our vehicles. This means that we have a metaphorical ring of steel around the South West. There is nowhere criminals can go on our roads network without us knowing about it. We have denied the organised gangs the use of our roads, and we will continue to do so to end the misery that the dealing and use of drugs can cause to our communities.”

Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez highlighted the community's role in tackling drug crime:
“I and my fellow commissioners have been working as a team across the South West because drugs came up as an issue that our communities in all our force areas wanted tackling. This approach means we’re not merely displacing the problem to a neighbouring force area."