Police target Plymouth drug supply in specialist operation
Devon & Cornwall Police joined forces with Merseyside Police once again last week for a major drugs operation in Plymouth.
Over two days officers flooded the streets of the city, with the Project Medusa County Lines team from Merseyside, to detect and disrupt drugs supply.
More than 100 officers targeted hot spot locations in plain clothes foot patrols and in specialist vehicles where they pursued cars with links to drugs, arrested wanted people and searched properties.
Devon & Cornwall Police Detective Inspector, Kev Morley, said: “We had great results and made arrests for the importation, supply and use of drugs well as seizing weapons, drugs and cash – all of which play their parts in the commission of crime and violence.
“We also targeted the hidden harms associated with drugs with our Safeguarding and Child Centred Policing Teams engaging with and supporting the vulnerable in our community who may be at risk of exploitation and cuckooing.
“You may have seen the roads policing teams out and about pursuing and stopping vehicles across the city. This was a mixture of responding to seeing people on their phones, driving dangerously and also using reported intelligence to target a range of driving offences including drug driving, disqualified drivers and no licence or insurance.”
Some results from the operation include:
- Over 30 arrests made, with others being dealt with by voluntary interview
- Seized knives, knuckledusters and an air rifle
- Found and seized drugs including cannabis, cocaine and steroids
- 10 vehicles taken off the roads
Insp Morley added: “Operations such as this are a variation of what we do day in day out, but with the support of our colleagues from Merseyside, the impact we can achieve is significant.
“We always welcome the specialist skills and support of our Merseyside colleagues; this is our sixth joint operation, and we continue to see great results.
“Drug supply in our communities will not be tolerated and we continue to will be persistent and consistent in tackling it. If you have any information which may help, I urge you to report it so that we can take action.
Inspector Stephen Morris from Merseyside Police said: “Officers from Project Medusa – Merseyside’s initiative to tackle county lines drug dealing and child criminal exploitation, continue to work alongside other forces such as Devon and Cornwall to close county lines and safeguard vulnerable individuals from the grip of toxic gangs.
“If we want to tackle county lines effectively, we must work across borders to target these criminals and keep all communities safe.
“Information from the public can make a real difference and lead to arrests and charges. I would ask anyone who has any information, no matter how small, to come forward so we can investigate.”
If you have information about illegal activity in your area, you can report it to us by calling 101 or reporting via our website - Contact us | Devon & Cornwall Police (devon-cornwall.police.uk)
Information can also be reported anonymously to CrimeStoppers by calling 0800 555111 or via their website - Independent UK charity taking crime information anonymously | Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org)
In an emergency, always call 999.
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