The second phase of a regional crackdown on drugs has resulted in more than 230 vulnerable adults and children being safeguarded.

Operation Scorpion is a collaboration between the five police forces in the South West region (Avon and Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire), alongside their respective offices of Police and Crime Commissioners, the British Transport Police, South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SW ROCU) and the charity Crimestoppers to combine resources to tackle drug supply in the region and make the South West a hostile environment for drugs.

The focus of this phase was on the impact of drugs within our local communities and the intelligence police forces need from the public to help disrupt the South West drugs market, dismantle drugs supply networks and arrest those who profit from them.

The first phase of Operation Scorpion took place in March 2022 and resulted in the arrest of nearly 200 people, disruption to 400 drug lines, seizing over £400,000 in suspected drugs and £130,000 in cash and saw over 300 vulnerability and welfare checks being carried out.

The second phase, which ran from Monday July 4 to Friday July 8, in Devon and Cornwall resulted in:

140 total disruptions, which included: 43 drug line disruptions, 34 arrests, five charges and two convictions, 58 children and adults safeguarded, £117,920 cash seized

Operational highlights: More than 100 cannabis plants seized from address in Newton Abbot and two hydroponic set ups seized in Plymouth.

Speaking on behalf of the five regional police forces, Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Kier Pritchard said: “Protecting our communities is fundamental to our policing approach in the South West and this operation firmly puts the people we serve at the heart of it.

“Operation Scorpion is about combining the resources, intelligence and enforcement powers of all the police forces across the South West to create the most hostile environment we can for those intent on peddling their illegal drugs in our region.

“Central to helping us achieve this is engaging with our local communities to ensure they know the signs to spot, what information to report to us and how.

“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.”

David Sidwick Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset said: “On behalf of all the five regional Police and Crime Commissioners, I want to thank all the officers and staff from across the partnership who have put in so many hours into making phase 2 of Operation Scorpion such a success. I know that all of the PCC’s share the same objective here – to make the whole of the South West region a hostile environment for drug criminality and county lines.

“As Police and Crime Commissioners we know that criminals don’t see county borders and Op Scorpion shows those criminals that we too can work in the same way – put simply - there is no hiding place.