A regional drugs crackdown saw 127 people arrested, more than £630,000 worth of drugs and £180,000 cash seized by police.

The second phase of Operation Scorpion, which focuses on reducing the number of drugs in the region, also resulted in more than 230 vulnerable adults and children being safeguarded.

It saw more than 20 police officers taking part in three simultaneous raids across Swindon on the morning of July 7.

Warrants were executed at Inglesham Road in Penhill, Ferndale Road in North Star and Belle Vue Road in Old Town, with drugs and guns seized.

Operation Scorpion is a collaboration between the five police forces in the South West region, alongside their respective offices of Police and Crime Commissioners, the British Transport Police, South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SW ROCU) and the charity Crimestoppers to combine resources to tackle drug supply in the region and make the South West a hostile environment for drugs.

Swindon Advertiser: A sniffer dog was called into to search a property. Photo: Dave Cox.A sniffer dog was called into to search a property. Photo: Dave Cox.

The first phase of Operation Scorpion took place in March 2022 and resulted in the arrest of 194 people, disruption of 400 drug lines, seizing over £400,000 in suspected drugs and £130,000 in cash, and saw over 300 vulnerability and welfare checks being carried out.

The second phase, which ran from Monday, July 4 to Friday, July 8, resulted in:

  • 127 arrests being made
  • 55 warrants carried out
  • 465 disruptions to drug lines in the region
  • 237 vulnerable children and adults were safeguarded
  • Approximately £638,000 worth of suspected drugs seized (street value)
  • More than £180,000 of cash seized
  • A vast array of weapons being seized, including air rifles, knuckledusters and knives. 

Speaking on behalf of the five regional police forces, Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Kier Pritchard said: "Protecting our communities is fundamental to our policing approach in the South West and this operation firmly puts the people we serve at the heart of it.

"Operation Scorpion is about combining the resources, intelligence and enforcement powers of all the police forces across the South West to create the most hostile environment we can for those intent on peddling their illegal drugs in our region.

"Central to helping us achieve this is engaging with our local communities to ensure they know the signs to spot, what information to report to us and how.

"We know that those who supply and distribute illegal drugs operate in a borderless way, creating complex networks of drugs lines in our towns and cities, and we need to mirror that if we are going to be successful in taking a strong and robust stance against this sort of criminality."

Anyone with information about illegal drug activity should report it to their local police service online or via 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.