A POLICE operation targeting drug dealing across the borough has seen drugs and weapons taken off the streets.

Officers from Basildon’s community policing team (CPT) and the force’s drugs squad, Operation Raptor, carried out a week-long operation which saw seven warrants executed and several arrests made.

Operation Awe began last Monday across the Basildon district and saw a focused effort to disrupt drug dealing, including county lines, and those causing significant harm.

The warrants were executed in areas including Billericay, Pitsea and Laindon and eight people were arrested on suspicion of a range of offences involving drug dealing including possession with intent to supply and conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

Two of those arrested have been charged and remanded while five have been released pending further investigation.

Officers seized multiple phones, some of which were linked to drug dealing gangs, as well as offensive weapons including an axe, a flick knife and a sports bottle containing a noxious substance, suspected to be ammonia.

Drugs seized included cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin.

At a warrant executed in Pitsea on Thursday, officers and social workers were also able to safeguard a vulnerable child from a high-risk environment.

Insp Steve Parry, acting district commander for Basildon, commended his officers.

He said: “There’s been some really good results this week. The whole purpose of it was a week of activity across the district to disrupt drug supply through warrants by our officers.

“We are continually working on the intelligence we get. A lot of the stuff we have done is around the county lines aspect but in amongst that there are other warrants we take positive action on.

“The perfect warrant is one where you’re in through the door, you're seizing property and making arrests.

“The sad by-product is that there are vulnerable people who are involved and if you can safeguard them as part of that journey, it’s a good feeling and if you can get that charge and remand it’s even better.

“If you get those phones, you are disrupting a county line and making it harder for criminals to operate in this area. I am really proud of what they’ve done in achieving these positive warrants and I really want this to continue.”