Twenty-six arrests and over £600,000 in cash and thousands of pounds-worth of drugs have been seized in four days in police operations.
Cumbria police said its operations – Apache in Penrith, Abington in Barrow, Bologna in West Cumbria and Huelva in Carlisle were funded by the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner David Allen as part of the Drugs Fund.
The fund takes money recovered from drug activities to target further those dealing and supply drugs.
Each operation costs around £10,000.
The four days of action saw officers carry out 18 raids and 15 stop and searches.
They recovered:
- £612,300 in cash
- 81 cannabis plants
- Over 2,000 cannabis edibles and vapes
- Over 200 Pregabalin
- Numerous recoveries of cocaine, cannabis (herbal), Ketamine and other benzodiazepine
- Numerous weapons including samurai sword, knives and air rifles.
- Illicit tobacco and cigarettes
- Cryptocurrency and associated paraphernalia.
Over 20 vehicles stopped with a number of fines issued for traffic offences and drug wipes conducted.
Police also engaged with businesses and the public within the night time economy, with 21 pubs visited with the drug scanning dog, PD Drake and his handler PC Mann. Officers received positive feedback from premises on the activity help to prevent drug use. Officers also gave patrols anti-spiking bottle tops and panic alarms.
A number of schools were also visited by officers so they could speak to students about the dangers of drugs and what to look out for and protect themselves from county line drug dealers.
Ten safeguarding referrals were made by officers.
Detective Superintendent Ian Hussey said: “The four operations aimed to disrupt and target those involved in drug supply in Cumbria.
“Drug offences often lead to other types of crimes which has a negative impact on our communities.
“The commissioner’s funding allowed us to take targeted action across four days across our county.
“However, the work does not stop there, our officers continue to target those involved in serious and organised crime.
“We urge anyone with information on drug activities within our community to report information to us.
“Without your reporting we may not become aware of criminal activities or be able to get the results we have seen with these operations.”
Mr Allen, said: “I’m proud to have used money seized from drug dealers to fund operations that target others involved in drug crime. Turning criminals’ profits against them is an effective and responsible use of resources.
“I promised a zero-tolerance approach to drugs, which cause immense harm to our communities. We’re delivering on that promise.
“Each operation costs around £10,000 to carry out, and so far, they’ve resulted in over £600,000-worth of cash and harmful drugs being taken off our streets.
“Importantly, some of this recovered money will also be reinvested into our communities, supporting local projects such as youth and sports clubs. These initiatives provide safe spaces for young people, promote discipline, and crucially help steer them away from the dangers of drug involvement.”
