A 45-year old man was arrested after the discovery of a large amount of cannabis at a property in Ottery during a massive police operation.

More than 100 officers were involved in raids across East Devon on Tuesday as part of a crackdown on the supply of class A drugs into Exeter from Liverpool.

The police arrested the Ottery man on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis following the execution of a warrant at a property in the town.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said he was taken into custody at Exeter for questioning, but has since been bailed until October 1 pending further enquiries.

Six people were arrested in total on Tuesday under Operation ‘Cranefly’, a joint venture between Devon and Cornwall Police, supported by officers from Zephyr, and the South West Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).

In all, 10 properties in Exeter, Exmouth, Teignmouth and Ottery St Mary were targeted.

The spokesman said a 17-year-old woman and a 22-year-old man were arrested at properties in Exeter and Exmouth on suspicion of possession with intent to supply controlled drugs.

A 42 year old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of both class A and B drugs at a house in the Beacon Heath area of Exeter, and two further men aged 46 and 41 were arrested at properties in the city on suspicion of money laundering.

The force said the arrests were a continuance of the operation which commenced in June, and saw 13 people arrested and six jointly charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

The spokesman said the proceeds of the criminal activity is more than �250,000 and a number of people are on bail for money laundering.

Following the operation Superintendent Jim Gale, the local Police Commander, said: “This sends a strong message to the communities of Devon that drug dealing will not be tolerated.

“Working together with our partners in Zephyr and SOCA we will continue to target suspected drug supply whether it originates from Merseyside or elsewhere in the country and work hard to bring offenders before the courts in order to achieve justice.”