£16m in drugs and 'dirty' money seized as 2,000 arrests made in one year on West Midlands roads

West Midlands Police said its patrol crews made more than 2,000 arrests in 2021, as well as recovering scores of stolen cars, guns and knives as part of efforts to target vehicles believed to be criminal activity.

A combined £16.2m worth of Class A and B drugs, suspected dirty money and other criminal assets were seized throughout the year.

The teams, along with Central Motorway Police Group, also found just under 140 weapons as arrests ranged from possession offences to burglary.

Superintendent Gareth Mason, of the roads policing unit, said: "We're monitoring routes across the region every minute of every day to trace and stop criminals.

"We’ve seized drugs, dangerous weapons and prevented further crime after stopping vehicles we believed were linked to criminality.

"The public deserve roads free of crime and we won't allow their roads to be used as easy get away routes for organised crime groups, such as those involved in County Lines and car key burglary rings.

"We're routinely patrolling key road links, alongside using the latest technology and data analytics, and will continue to act on any information or suspicious activity."

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster said: “The seizure of millions of pounds worth of drugs and weapons is the culmination of hundreds of hours of work from officers who are engaged in constant and unremitting action to keep our streets safe.

“To those hardworking men and women, the people of the West Midlands and I are eternally grateful.

“Whilst the figures are staggering they only strengthen my resolve to see drug kingpins brought to justice and the crime, exploitation and violence that follows them around eradicated.”