Op Scorpion: arrests for drug offences in north Bristol

Neighbourhood officers have been targeting drug-related crime in Southmead, Bristol, as part of Operation Scorpion.

Op Scorpion sees us joining South West regional colleagues in carrying out operations to disrupt drug supply and prevent drug crime within the region, alongside preventative, educational and engagement work in communities.

On Tuesday 5 July officers arrested four men for offences including producing cannabis and drug driving.

Officers arrested three men after discovering a suspected cannabis factory at an address in Staveley Crescent, Southmead. One was released under investigation but two others have been charged.

Dritan Banaj, 29, and Ervis Banaj, 33, both of no fixed abode, remain in police custody pending their appearance at Bristol Magistrates’ Court today, Thursday 7 July, charged with producing cannabis.

On Tuesday evening officers stopped a man driving a Mazda 2 on Pen Park Road, Southmead. Following a roadside test he was arrested on suspicion of drug driving and later released under investigation pending the results of forensic tests.

Officers also seized a small quantity of drugs from a property in Ambleside Avenue, Southmead, and handed Community Protection Warnings to two people. These include a requirement not to enter any council-owned and managed residential premises without permission of the council’s estate management team, unless it’s the home of immediate family members.

If they’re found to have breached the warning, a Community Protection Notice may be issued without further warning – and if that’s breached it could lead to criminal sanctions.