A special operation to crack down on drug dealing in Ipswich has now seen arrests hit the 100 mark in three months, police have said.
Operation Woven has also taken a large number of Class A drug wraps off the streets and seized thousands of pounds worth of cash.
Dozens of raids have taken place at properties around the town and closure orders have been placed on premises where the vulnerable occupants have been coerced to let dealers use them to store their drugs.
Nine days ago officers on the squad assembled to disrupt dealing and lessen the threat of knife crime discovered a mini-cannabis factory with 35 plants in Clarkson Street, leading to the arrest of a man.
The operation had been so successful that it has now been extended to last six months, when it originally had a six-week remit.
Among those who have been charged are two men who admitted crack-cocaine offences when they appeared before Ipswich Crown Court last week.
The men were Joshua Griffin, 26, of Springhurst Close, Ipswich, and Craig Akena, 20, of Moorey Close, London.
Griffin admitted being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin between March and May this year.
Akena admitted possessing crack cocaine with intent to supply on May 3.
The men were charged after 400 wraps of crack cocaine were discovered following a police raid at a property in Mountbatten Court, off Prospect Street, Ipswich, on May 3.
The pair are due to be sentenced next month.
Officers involved in Operation Woven have been re-emphasising their ‘think before you act’ message to anyone considering carrying a knife or bladed weapon.
Bladed weapons have been found in sweeps of Jubilee Park and at Alderman recreation ground during a separate, but related, operation.
Ipswich area commander Superintendent Kerry Cutler said: “There is no excuse to carry a knife in Suffolk. If you are found illegally in possession of a knife you will be arrested, put before the court and brought to justice.”
Serious violent crime rose in Ipswich late last year with stabbings in Prospect Street, and Foundation Street, and the shooting of a teenager in Siloam Place.
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