Specialist police teams dedicated to tackling organised crime seize over £100m worth of class A drugs and arrest more than 3,000 criminals in 2022

Throughout 2022, the nine Regional Organised Crime Units (ROCUs) in England and Wales pursued those behind organised crime groups – referred to as OCGs – involved in the importation of drugs, people and weapons, and other criminal activity.

In addition to huge amounts of cocaine and heroin, units seized firearms, ammunition, and millions of pounds in cash.

In total, 1,046 people were jailed for 4,558 years for offences such as drug importation, human trafficking and money laundering, following investigations across the ROCU network. Many more are still to go through court.

Items seized by units across the country included:

– 1,575kg of cocaine, with a potential street value of £94,500,000

– 333kg of heroin, with a potential street value of £19,980,000

– More than £5.6 million in cash likely to have been made through criminal activity

– 332 firearms and 2,444 rounds of ammunition

– 998kg of cannabis and 16,665 plants

– 870,900 tablets, including ecstasy and illicit prescription medicine

More than 400 adults and 1,300 children who were vulnerable to being exploited were also safeguarded.

ROCUs are a collection of policing units which are dedicated to tackling serious organised crime as a networked response.

They provide specialist capabilities to target the increasingly complex threat posed by organised criminals, confronting a range of crime – from drugs gangs and cyber criminals to those involved in child sexual exploitation and modern slavery.