Yahoo News More than £2m worth of illegal drugs goes up in smoke after police seizures
More than £2m worth of illegal drugs has gone up in flames after a successful six-month crackdown on organised crime.
Cleveland Police seized multi-kilos of heroin, cocaine, cannabis, and illegal tablets before the force destroyed the illicit drugs.
The bags of drugs were burned at a secret location after they were recovered during months of action by police in Hartlepool, Stockton, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland.
The force was joined by specialist departments including the Organised Crime Unit and the Dedicated Drugs and County Lines Team.
The bags of drugs seized by Cleveland Police (Image: Cleveland Police)
Detective Chief Inspector Nick See, from Cleveland Police’s Dedicated Drugs and County Lines Team, said: “The drugs are a culmination of proactive activity by officers who are relentless in their pursuit to target activity in Teesside that is linked to serious and organised crime.
“Criminal networks profit from the supply of illegal drugs and reap the rewards through their lavish lifestyles.
“The organisations are often linked to the criminal exploitation of children and vulnerable adults who may be homeless, have a disability or suffer from severe addictions. This can then often be linked to a wave of crime to fund their habit including anti-social behaviour, burglary, and theft.
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“The supply of illegal drugs also encompasses serious violence from tit-for-tat reprisals such as the discharge of a firearm, knife and arson attacks which can occur behind the scenes or openly within our community.
“Seizing these drugs goes a long way to disrupting all of this criminality. We couldn’t do it without the support of the public who are our eyes and our ears. By reporting information, it leads to the drugs being recovered and the arrests of those who are associated with it.”
If you suspect criminal activity is occurring in your neighbourhood, you can report it by calling Cleveland Police on 101 or visiting the website.
Information can also be provided anonymously by contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
