In what has been called the "most significant" law enforcement operation of its sort ever conducted in the UK.A crackdown on organised criminality linked to the cannabis business has been carried out by more than 11,000 police officers.
According to The BBC, Police have seized up to 130 million pounds worth of cannabis plants and arrested almost 1,000 people in the UK's largest ever crackdown on organised crime. More than 180,000 plants were discovered in raids across England and Wales in June. Officers also seized 20 firearms, 636,000 pounds in cash, and 20 kilogrammes of cocaine, with a potential street value of 1 million pounds.
This strong crackdown on organised crime was named "Operation Mille," which targeted what law enforcement believes is a cash cow for organised crime gangs (OCGs), who are also involved in other offences such as money laundering, Class A drug smuggling, and violence.
Cannabis is a Class B drug, not a Class A drug like heroin or cocaine, but large-scale cannabis cultivation is seen as a key source of illicit income for criminal gangs.
The Police said that the operation had "successfully disrupted a significant amount of criminal activity".
"We know that organised networks involved in cannabis production are also directly linked to an array of other serious criminalities such as Class A drug importation, modern slavery, and wider violence and exploitation," Steve Jupp, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) lead for Serious and organised Crime, said.
"The intelligence gathered will also help inform future law enforcement across the country."
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