Drugs with a street value of more than £30,000 were seized by police during a raid in Highbridge on Wednesday morning (March 7th).
Over a dozen police stormed a flat in Highbridge Quay at 7.39am and a man was arrested, as pictured here, during Avon and Somerset Constabulary’s annual Operation Relentless initiative in which over 180 people were arrested across the region.
During the raid at Highbridge Quay, officers seized 32 cannabis plants with a street value of over £30,000, plus £1,500 cash, two Rolex watches, a motorbike and a number of TV screens.
The cannabis plants were recovered from the loft of the property, which had been transformed into a drugs factory, and a quantity of suspected cannabis was also found in a fridge freezer in the flat.
A man was arrested inside on suspicion of cultivating a controlled drug and money laundering.
“This has been a great result – we have to ensure that our communities are safe as possible and people who cause crime need to be behind bars,” Deputy Chief Constable Rob Beckley told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
A group of Burnham and Highbridge PCSOs delivered information cards to neighbouring properties around the flat to inform residents about the operation.
The day of action – which is the biggest operation undertaken in Avon and Somerset – was held to clamp down on criminals with the aim of keeping people safe in the force area through visible, high-impact policing.
Assistant Chief Constable Anthony Bangham, Gold Commander for the whole operation, said: “Operation Relentless has been running for seven years and has two main aims – to directly target criminals, reducing crime and disorder, and secondly, to provide public reassurance through very visible high impact policing.”
“Today the fact that we have arrested more than 140 wanted criminals sends out a strong message that crime does not pay in Avon and Somerset. Some of these people we have arrested have been a blight on their local communities.”
“This has been the force’s largest operation. Not only have we been involved in robust enforcement action throughout today but as the operation continues into the evening we will be continuing to reassure our communities with high profile patrols.”
