Home Office data published on Thursday, October 28th, shows that Cheshire Police increased the number of drug seizures by 3% in the year to March 2010.
2,085 individual drugs seizures were made during the year, almost three quarters of them involving cannabis. The total also included 357 cocaine seizures.
Commenting of the figures, Assistant Chief Constable Phil Thompson said: "The Cheshire drug seizure figures have increased in recent years as a result of more people coming forward with more information about drugs in local communities. The rise does not reflect a greater drug presence in Cheshire - it's more that community reporting increases when the public see us tackling these issues.
"Information from local people has helped us target locations where people have been growing cannabis on a large scale in rented properties or industrial units. The Constabulary has also had some good successes on the Motorway network, where officers have stopped cars carrying drugs that were on their way to be sold in other parts of the North West.
"Much of the police work involved in tackling drugs is invisible - it only becomes clear to the public when we 'put doors in' and execute search warrants. Before we get to that stage, plain clothes officers will have been evidence gathering in the community to make sure we can prove the case when it reaches court.
"In many cases, we will also be linking up with neighbouring police forces to co-ordinate searches of properties and arrests in their area. After the arrests we continue to work on the case - with specialist officers examining the assets of drug dealers so that we can ask the courts to confiscate money and property acquired through dealing."
Click here to read our report regarding a cannabis factory which was discovered in Handforth recently. The cannabis seized was believed to have a total street value of £47,000.
