Drugs with a street value of £40,000 were seized during a fortnight of targeted action against drugs gangs and criminals involved in violent crime.

In all, 76 arrests were made between September 14 and September 27 during a number of operations across Essex with drugs and a further £25,000 in cash seized.

These included arrests linked to six drugs gangs, which resulted in nine people being charged on suspicion of drug offences.

Officers also made arrests for suspected weapons offences and other crimes that were identified during police patrols, such as burglaries and drug-driving.

In addition, police say they were able to safeguard eight vulnerable people.

Chief Inspector Lewis Basford said: “The majority of Essex residents will never be affected by drugs or violent crime and every day we’re working to keep it that way. Each day we’re out on patrols and gathering information to target criminals involved in drugs supply and violent crime.

“We also work closely with other agencies to protect young and vulnerable people who are used and exploited by these criminals for their own financial gain.

“We will not stop doing everything we can to make sure our communities and most vulnerable residents are safe.

“There is nowhere to hide in Essex for those involved in drugs and violent crime.”

During the two weeks of action, Essex Police executed 14 warrants under the Misuse of Drugs Act as part of investigations into drugs related crime.

Officers carried out regular patrols in addition to their day-to-day patrols and used knife detection arches to help identify anyone who might have been carrying weapons.

They also carried out searches to look for any weapons that might have been hidden, and ensured shops were adhering to the law around selling knives to underage customers.

Officers also worked closely with partners such as C2C, the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit, and other forces.

Two successful operations disrupted criminals using the roads in Essex, London, and neighbouring counties.

Chief Inspector Basford said: “We use our combined expertise and resources so we can target and dismantle these gangs and organised crime groups at every level.”