Police took more than £14m of drugs off the streets of Cumbria last year under a forcewide crackdown on serious and organised crime.
Officers seizing high-harm substances including heroin, cocaine and amphetamine – and shut down a number of industrial-sized cannabis farms.
Detectives and staff also continued to hit these criminals where it really hurts – in their pockets, by detaining cash and freezing accounts for sums totalling more than £2.7m.
All of this has fallen under Operation Alliance - Cumbria Police's dedicated overall operation protecting the county against serious and organised crime.
Temporary Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Hussey said: “The last year has seen organised criminals jailed, huge amounts of drugs taken out of circulation and the disruption and dismantling of numerous criminal enterprises.
“We’re committed to taking on those serious and organised criminals who have no concern whatsoever about the consequences of their actions - and whose activities cause the most harm to our communities.
“These criminals and crime groups should be under no illusion: we will do all we can to disrupt them and put them behind bars - where they belong.”
Operation Alliance runs throughout the year and encompasses all the individual operations where officers target organised crime groups or aim to prevent or disrupt serious and organised crime.
The drugs seized included:
- Cannabis with a street value of £2.1m
- Cocaine with a street value of £10.4
- Heroin with a street value of £200,000
Temporary Det Chief Supt Hussey said: “Our officers work all-year-round to protect Cumbria against serious and organised crime.
“Throughout the last year operations, drug warrants and stop-searches have been carried out by specialist units and officers across the force.
“This has seen organised crime groups jailed, drugs taken out of circulation and the disruption or dismantling of criminal enterprises across the county.
“Alongside the arrests and prosecutions, we also took action to safeguard many people who we suspected were at risk.”
He added: “This work is not carried out alone – Operation Alliance sees us work with various other law enforcement and partner agencies to protect people and bring criminals to justice.
“But, as always, the most important people in this is you: the public.
“To keep up the fight against this type of organised crime we need the public to let us know when they see anything suspicious in their communities.”
Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, said: “This is a fantastic result for Cumbria.
“Drugs don’t just ruin the lives of those taking them, they have a much wider, negative impact on families and communities as a whole.
“I have seen first-hand the damage drugs cause to whole neighbourhoods, and that is why taking drugs off our streets before they can be sold and cutting off county lines is a huge feat and is a priority for Cumbria Police and me.
“This work will continue in 2026 to keep our communities as safe as possible.
“I urge the public to continue to report any suspicious activity to the police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.
“All information is logged and helps us build a better understanding of what is happening where.
“You might not see immediate action but I can assure you that work is being done behind-the-scenes to tackle drugs and that the police will take action to stop dealers getting a foothold and blighting our towns and villages.
“Let’s work together to protect Cumbria in 2026.”
Do you have information that can help us?
- Anyone with information can report online at www.cumbria.police.uk/report-it
- You can also phone on 101.
- Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Support for people using drugs
Support is available for people affected by drugs use. They can access support that services such as Recovery Steps Cumbria can provide.
You can contact them on 01900 512300 (this covers all of Cumbria).