Devon & Cornwall Police News site

More than 100 arrests made during coordinated week of police activity targeting drug supply across the South West

Operation Scorpion 13 ran from 24 – 30 November 2025

More than a hundred people have been arrested across the South West after police forces came together to target illegal drugs and child criminal exploitation.

Operation Scorpion is a collaboration between the South West’s five police forces - Avon and Somerset, Dorset, Devon & Cornwall, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire - alongside their respective Offices of Police and Crime Commissioners, the British Transport Police and South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SW ROCU) which sees resources combined to tackle drug supply and make the region a hostile environment for organised crime groups.

During a week of coordinated activity across the south west, police officers and staff worked collectively to apprehend suspected dealers, seize drugs and weapons, and safeguard vulnerable people.

A range of enforcement activity took place, including the execution of arrest and search warrants, vehicle stops and the use of drones to track suspected dealers.

In addition, vulnerable people were safeguarded, with 10 people in Devon and Cornwall and others elsewhere identified from the phones seized from suspected dealers and sent text messages with details of support services.

In total, across the South West:

• 112 people were arrested
• £67,329 cash was seized
• 52kg of cannabis was confiscated, including 868 cannabis plants
• Three guns were recovered, plus five imitation firearms
• 48 people were safeguarded, including five children

In Devon and Cornwall:

• 27 arrests
• 21 people safeguarded, including one child
• £17,465 cash seized
• 308 cannabis plants confiscated
• Two guns seized, plus one imitation firearm
• Six other weapons seized

Last week’s Operation Scorpion had a particular focus on child criminal exploitation which is when criminals groom and exploit young people into carrying out crimes on their behalf.

Officers visited schools where they gave inputs to children on county lines and criminal exploitation, highlighting what it looks like and where to get help and support. Examples in Devon and Cornwall included a school talk to 400 pupils in Helston and a visit by the charity Escape Line to a school in Plymouth. Police Cadets in Camborne delivered leaflets in areas that have had incidents of cuckooing – where vulnerable people are forced to receive and store drugs or weapons in their homes - and spoke to residents to raise awareness and encourage reporting.

British Transport Police and Devon & Cornwall Police worked together in a large operation at Plymouth Railway Station and on trains into south east Cornwall. This highly visible policing had the aim of deterring crime and reassuring the public and to detect and stop child and other vulnerable person criminal exploitation.

A coordinated awareness campaign was also run across the region on social media, with targeted TikTok and SnapChat adverts designed to reach young people where they spend much of their time - online.

Assistant Chief Constable Dave Thorne said the results highlight Devon & Cornwall Police’s commitment to reducing drug-related harm: “Operations like this send a clear message that we will continue to target those who choose to profit from causing harm in our communities.

“The outcomes reflect the support of the public who play an important role in helping us identify and disrupt criminal activity, and the hard work and dedication of our staff. I encourage anyone with information to contact Devon & Cornwall Police or do it anonymously through Crimestoppers.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said: “Our communities are fed up with witnessing drug dealing and drug abuse in their communities. The amount of cash, kilograms of drugs and numbers of weapons seized by police during this Operation Scorpion tell only part of the story of the continuing efforts to remove the scourge of drugs from our communities. The harm from drugs is not limited to the immediate physical and mental harm it brings to addicts and anti-social behaviour associated with drug use, there is also the violence, coercion and exploitation of children and adults who are caught up in the criminal distribution of these illegal substances

“The public play a huge part in protecting our young people and making sure the south west is no place for drugs, so if you suspect or know of drug activity, please let the police know or report it anonymously through Crimestoppers. Every report is valuable.”

Devon & Cornwall Police has an online reporting form as well as the non-emergency 101 number: https://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/contact/af/contact-us-beta/contact-us/report-crime-incident-suspicion/

You can contact Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or visiting the website at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/

Photos:

Drugs, cash and tobacco seized in Plymouth and Torquay