Police seize £8m of cannabis in drugs crackdown

Millions of pounds worth of drugs were seized by police officers as part of an nine-month operation to tackle serious and organised crime in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Operation Orbit, a joint investigation by the two counties' police forces, resulted in 160 arrests and the recovery of cannabis valued in excess of £8m.

The array of offences ranged from Class A drug supply to industrial-scale cannabis farming and money laundering.

During the investigation, executed between February and October, more than £350,000 in cash was also retrieved as well as a large amount of cocaine.

According to Suffolk Police, 65% of those arrested have either been charged or remanded.

Det Ch Insp Tom Pearse, from Norfolk and Suffolk’s Serious and Organised Crime team, said: "I am often asked what I think success looks like.

"It is maintaining constant and sustained pressure on these crime groups and making it as difficult as we can for offenders to succeed here.

"We are seeing great results and this is down to the hard work of our front-line officers, staff and investigators, as well as the vital support of our communities."

Some of the drug-dealing operations shut down by the police involved historic buildings across Norfolk and Suffolk such as disused/deconsecrated churches – some of which were used as drugs factories.

Mark Harrison, head of heritage at Historic England, said: "Heritage crime robs us of our collective history.

"Historic England is committed to working with police services to reduce offending and educate the wider community about the impact of damage to historic buildings."

In Great Yarmouth, officers seized 25kg of cannabis which had been packaged and readied for distribution inside a van.

In Suffolk, officers safeguarded unaccompanied minors located in Ipswich, utilising CCTV to trace them back to London and senior figures within the criminal group.

From this a man subsequently pleaded guilty to drug supply and money laundering offences, with £50,000 recovered in a drugs "safe house".

Det Ch Insp Pearse said the operation aimed to prevent criminality "taking a foothold and to protect the most vulnerable".

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