Police have seized cannabis plants and cannabis worth more than £1.7m in a series of raids across Norfolk.

Search warrants were carried out in Norwich, King's Lynn, Dereham and Great Yarmouth in June as part of Operation Mille.

During the raids, officers discovered more than £900,000 worth of cannabis and 1,600 cannabis plants that could have been worth £800,000. 

Norwich Evening News: Norfolk Police seized more than £1.7m worth of cannabis during raids in June

All 43 forces across England and Wales have coordinated a total of a thousand search warrants against Organised Crime Groups (OCGs), arresting hundreds and seizing firearms, huge amounts of cash and cannabis plants worth approximately £130 million.

Chief Superintendent Dave Buckley said: “As well as making 22 arrests so far and seizing plants and cannabis we were successful in further disrupting activity connected to serious and organised crime in Norfolk.

READ MORE: Arrests made after 500 cannabis plants found

“It’s important to remember the impact this kind of crime can have within communities and the serious violence and acquisitive crime associated.

"The proceeds from these grows can often be used to fund other criminal enterprises. We will continue to work with local communities to disrupt this crime and ensure Norfolk is a hostile environment for criminal groups.”

Norwich Evening News: Chief Superintendent Dave Buckley Chief Superintendent Dave Buckley (Image: Norfolk Constabulary)

The number of cannabis seizures in Norfolk has hit a record high which police say has been fuelled by rocketing use of the Class B drug.

Recent figures showed there were a total of 5,428 drug seizures in the county last year, two-thirds of them involving cannabis.

The rise was the sixth consecutive annual increase in Norfolk, with the county recording the highest figure for seizures per million population outside London.

READ MORE: £250k cannabis farm in quiet cul-de-sac discovered

The government has said it had "no intention" of reviewing the drug’s Class B classification despite campaigners calling for it to be legalised saying banning it had failed to reduce its use.

Anyone with information about a potential cannabis factory or drug dealing can contact Norfolk Constabulary on 101 or 999 in an emergency.