50 nicked for Plymouth drugs offences

Crackdown over two days

Fifty people suspected of being in the drugs trade have been arrested in or around Plymouth over just two days.

Devon and Cornwall Police, supported by a team from Merseyside Police have targeted drugs supply and related offences in what they call Operation Medusa.

More than a hundred officers and staff supported the activity including Intelligence teams, Proactive Disruption, Police Dogs and Drones, Local Policing and Specialist Roads Policing Officers.

Teams were deployed on foot across the city, in unmarked traffic cars and specialist Medusa cars. They seized:

• Drugs including heroin, cannabis, cocaine and suspected LSD
• Weapons including knives, a crossbow and gas-powered air weapons
• More than £30k in cash
• Multiple cars, vans and motorbikes.

Devon and Cornwall detective inspector Kev Morley said: “We have achieved some significant disruptions through our proactive work over the last couple of days which has included removing drugs and weapons from the streets of our city.

“The teams have stopped and seized vehicles which are believed to be linked to drug supply and arrested people for a range of offences including driving under the influence of drugs, possession with intent to supply and possession of offensive weapons.

“This work is ongoing all the time but during these periods of intensification, we can really target the criminal behaviour and disrupt the activity.”

Head of Proactive Investigation, Detective Superintendent Jon Bancroft said: “Drugs suppliers deliberately target and exploit some of the most vulnerable people in Devon and Cornwall. We have zero tolerance for this and any illegal behaviours associated with these types of crimes.

“Information directly passed to us by you or anonymously through CrimeStoppers is a critical part of ensuring we protect these vulnerable people as Devon and Cornwall is no place for drugs supply and the misery on which it survives. That is a key role for Policing to proactively attack those lines of supply and we will continue to utilise your information as well as that we gather from officers and partner agencies to support to support the victims.

“The information reported to us helps to build the picture of some of the hidden harms within our area and I urge and encourage anyone who sees or has information about illegal activity in their community, to please report it to us.”

Inspector Darren Wallace 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 colleagues from Devon and Cornwall to close county lines and safeguard vulnerable individuals from the grip of toxic gangs.

“This is Merseyside’s fourth deployment to the area to target county lines drug dealing and shows our ongoing commitment to work across borders to relentlessly pursue those involved in the supply of drugs and exploitation.”

“The results from this joint operation showcase the success of working together with other forces to take suspected county lines offenders off our streets.

“Our work to catch these criminals and bring them to justice continues on a daily basis and I would ask anyone who has information about this kind of activity to come forward so action can be taken.”

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, call 999.