Police have seized £11 million worth of drugs from the streets of Cumbria as part of a force-wide crackdown on serious and organised crime.

The venture, dubbed Operation Alliance, also saw officers confiscate over £4 million in suspected illegal cash.

Not only did the force seize high-harm substances, including heroin, cocaine and amphetamine, they also dismantled numerous industrial-sized cannabis farms.

<hr>

Read more: Cumbria Flooding and traffic updates amid weather warning

<hr>

Its efforts led to the successful prosecution of a series of organised crime groups, who were profiting at the cost of communities.

The police not only managed to jail members of organised crime groups and confiscate large amounts of drugs, they also targeted the financial resources of these criminals, with £4.5 million currently under criminal investigation.

Leading the operation, Detective Superintendent Ian Hussey, said: "The last year has seen organised crime groups jailed, vast amounts of drugs taken out of circulation and the disruption and dismantling of numerous criminal enterprises.

"“Alongside the arrests and prosecutions, we also took action to safeguard many people who we suspected were at risk.

"These crime groups should be under no illusion: we will do all we can to disrupt them and put them behind bars - where they belong."

Throughout the year, Operation Alliance has encompassed all individual operations where officers "worked all-year-round" to target organised crime groups or work to prevent or disrupt serious and organised crime.

Det Supt Hussey focused on public co-operation, saying: "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."

Aside from arresting and prosecuting the criminals, the officers also took action to safeguard people suspected of being at risk.

Det Supt Hussey added: "Operation Alliance sees us work with various other law enforcement and partner agencies to protect people and bring criminals to justice."

Cumbria's police, fire and crime commissioner, Peter McCall, said: "This summary gives reassurance to the public that Cumbria Police are tackling serious crime robustly every day, and having a real effect in bringing criminals who mostly target the vulnerable to justice."

He urged the public to report any suspicious activities to the police, concluding: "Together we can make Cumbria a safer place to live, work and visit."

The public can report suspected crimes online at www.cumbria.police.uk/report-it, via phone on 101, or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.