Police forces across the South West – including Avon and Somerset – joined forces in June for a major crackdown on drug supply networks.

The week-long operation, carried out under the banner of Operation Scorpion, took place from 23 to 29 June and saw multiple arrests, drugs and weapons seized, and children safeguarded across the region.

Avon and Somerset Police teamed up with colleagues from Devon and Cornwall, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Police, working alongside the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU).

The joint action led to:

• 102 arrests
• 65.7kg of cocaine, 274g of crack cocaine, 13.9kg of cannabis and 455g of heroin seized
• £119,326 in cash recovered
• 100 mobile phones seized
• 38 people safeguarded
• 29 suspected county lines dismantled
• 26 weapons seized
• 17 vehicles seized, including six e-bikes

Neighbourhood Inspector Tom Tooth said the operation showed the value of local intelligence: "This result demonstrates how the combined efforts of local policing and intelligence teams are key to tackling drug supply on our streets.

"By listening to our communities and delivering visible patrols in key areas, we're committed to making our communities safer, not only in big cities like Bristol but in locations across Avon and Somerset."

In a separate incident, officers recovered a stolen vehicle and seized two knives during an intelligence-led search.

As part of the wider crackdown, around 1,000 taxi drivers across the Avon and Somerset area were spoken to by the force's Taxi Compliance Officer to raise awareness of county lines and child exploitation.

Officers also worked with hotels, taxi firms and postal companies to help staff spot signs of exploitation, and carried out education sessions in schools around the risks of illegal vapes.

SWROCU Assistant Chief Constable Andy Hill said: "The number of arrests, together with the drugs and weapons seized, shows the determination across the region to target and disrupt the organised crime groups looking to profit from the exploitation of young and vulnerable people.

"But just as crucial is the huge joint effort that's been put into preventing them from being exploited in the first place."

He warned that those being exploited are often teenagers, with drug runners typically aged 15 to 17, while those controlling the lines are usually just 21.

The operation backed the Children's Society's Look Closer campaign, which encourages people to spot and report signs of exploitation.

Support is available from Somerset Drug and Alcohol Service. Concerns about drug dealing can be reported to Avon and Somerset Police on 101 or online. Call 999 if someone is in immediate danger.