Hernandez hails success of drug enforcement

OPERATION SCORPION HAS HELPED VICTIMS OF CRIME

- ALISON STEPHENSON

DEVON and Cornwall Police have seized drugs weighing the equivalent of two Arnold Schwarzeneggers since the start of a cross-border mission designed to make the South West a “hostile environment” for drug dealers.

Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez said the force, in conjunction with Dorset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Avon and Somerset, had made a difference since March 2022, when Operation Scorpion began with 629 arrests and 350 people safeguarded against drug dealers. The operation in total has disrupted 3,272 drug operations.

She said the six phases of the drive had reduced the number of ‘county lines’ operations – where dealers move across county boundaries and police force areas. Drugs weighing a total of 213kg had been seized (Arnie weighs 107kg), along with nearly £1 million in cash.

Ms Hernandez told Devon and Cornwall’s Police and Crime Panel that the force, working together with its partners, is among the top four best-performing forces in the country for disrupting crime.