Major drugs operation across UK, including Wiltshire, carried out

More than two hundred people have been arrested and drugs worth more than £45 million were seized during a week of national targeted activity against organised criminal gangs - including several in Wiltshire.

Forces across the country have once again focused their efforts on targeting major cannabis grows to disrupt violence, exploitation and organised crime in England and Wales.  

Regionally, across the South West, large quantities of cannabis plants plus several grams of cocaine and a cache of weapons were recovered in the latest phase of Operation Scorpion and Operation Mille (see notes to editors for an explanation of each op). 

In Wiltshire, there were:

• Eight arrests
• Six warrants carried out
• More than £12,000 in cash recovered
• One knife found
• 246 grams of cocaine and 101 grams of cannabis recovered.  

During the seven days of operation, from 17 – 23 February, police teams targeted addresses of suspected drugs dealers and suppliers.

Wiltshire Police Deputy Chief Constable, Mark Cooper, said: “The aim of such an operation like Op Scorpion (and Op Mille) is to maintain an already successful momentum tackling organised criminal gangs and the disruption of illegal drugs production and supply in Wiltshire, the South West and even wider across the UK.

“This activity helps to deter and prevent further unlawful incidents like modern slavery and human trafficking – commonly linked to international drug gangs – and the anti-social behaviour which often goes hand in hand with this type of criminality and blights communities.

“These arrests and seizures mean that a significant number of drugs have been removed from our towns and rural areas, as well as the disruption of criminal networks which prey on the vulnerable and bring so much misery to people.

“Operation Scorpion is also a great opportunity for us to work together with partners, colleagues and other police forces from across the South West.”

South West regional drugs intensification weeks are a collaboration of five police forces in the South West region – Dorset, Devon & Cornwall, Avon & Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire - and their Offices of the Police and Crime Commissioners.

Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: “Operation Scorpion demonstrates a border-less approach to policing to reduce the serious harm and violence caused by illegal drugs across the whole region, as drug crime isn’t just a problem in urban police areas. Our message is clear – Wiltshire and the South West is no place for drugs.

“This iteration which ran alongside Operation Mille aimed to disrupt the trade, specifically around the cannabis market, and use enforcement to obtain and analyse intelligence, as well as safeguard vulnerable people and tackle modern slavery, human trafficking, anti-social behaviour and related violence.

“My office in partnership with the force are currently running a second phase of the Spot the Signs, Stop the Crime campaign which initially saw partnership engagement through school visits and targeted awareness materials at the end of last year to proactively target young people and their parents to educate them on the red flags associated with child criminal exploitation.

“This has now been invested in further and expanded across more targeted online and offline platforms to reach more audiences over the duration of the intensification week and beyond. Young people themselves can find out more about the risks around child criminal exploitation by visiting the Check it Out youth zone section of my website for support and guidance.”

Anyone with information about illegal drugs activity should report it to police online or by using the non-emergency 101 number.  Always call 999 in an emergency.

Alternatively, you can pass information anonymously to the independent charity CrimeStoppers, 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year on 0800 555 111 or you can use their non-traceable online form