A county-wide police operation targeting organised crime gangs saw 39 people arrested, whilst more than £60,000 in cash and more than 100 kilograms of illegal drugs were seized.

Wiltshire Police executed Operation Scorpion in a bid to disrupt drug lines, remove major sources of revenue for gangs in the area, and stop criminals using Swindon and Wiltshire as a base to deal drugs.

They executed 26 warrants, arrested 39 people, charged 10 suspects, seized 111.86kg of cannabis along with 1.32kg of cocaine as well as £63,195 in cash.

The operation focused on the cultivation of cannabis, which is often a big source of income for gangs that are involved in other serious and organised crime, such as Class A drug dealing and the exploitation of vulnerable people through modern slavery.

Det Supt Ben Mant said: “The perception that cannabis cultivation and the smoking of it is victimless couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Drug trafficking is a major source of revenue for organised crime gangs, funding other elements of serious and organised crime such as firearms and modern slavery.

“It’s for that reason that warrants, arrests and charges relating to cannabis cultivation have a much wider disruptive impact on organised criminal activity.

“These disruptions and warrants successfully disrupted a significant amount of criminal activity, including a single haul of more than 100kg of cannabis seized from a gang operating from Swindon and Yorkshire.

“The intelligence gathered from the operation also enable us to build up a greater picture of the illegal activity happening across our county and inform where we can target our future operational activity.”

Operation Scorpion saw the five police forces in the south west region work with their respective offices of Police and Crime Commissioners, the British Transport Police, the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit, and the charity CrimeStoppers to tackle drug supply networks.

Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: “Communities are destroyed by drug-related crime and anti-social behaviour, not to mention the impact this has on vulnerable people who end up being used and intimidated by criminal gangs.

“Listening to residents’ concerns was key in the strategic focus in my police and crime plan for Wiltshire Police and officers will continue to disrupt drug supplies, robustly deal with criminals and rid our streets of drugs.

“The Chief Constable and I are determined the focus on ensuring Wiltshire has a zero-tolerance approach to this type of criminality.

"No matter where you live in the south west, there is no place for drugs."