High volumes of cash, drugs and weapons have been seized over the past year, thanks to a joint operation backed by Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Matt Storey.
Since 2019, Operation Sentinel has led the regional charge against organised crime. Its targets include drug supply, exploitation, and cyber and economic crime.
The robust initiative was launched to target suspects, protect the vulnerable, prevent crime and dismantle the illicit operations harming North East communities.
In the last year alone, Operation Sentinel has seen criminals sentenced to a total of 1,388 years in prison. In addition, £13,281,192 in cash was seized, 1,057kg of drugs were impounded, 218 weapons captured and 320 children safeguarded – and the good work isn’t slowing down.
The North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU), Cleveland Police, Durham Constabulary and Northumbria Police are the powers behind the initiative and this week have re-affirmed their commitment to prioritising the fight against serious and organised crime.
Duty to Protect
NEROCU Superintendent Andy Reynolds, said: “We have a duty to protect the north east from the devastating impact serious and organised crime can have on communities. Organised criminals often try to evade police by crossing borders to carry out their illegal operations – Operation Sentinel puts an end to that.
“We work as a united front with our regional police forces by bringing together our expertise, resources, and technology and skills to disrupt and dismantle these illicit gangs.
“Recent figures are just a taste of what we’re capable of and our efforts won’t stop here.”
Cleveland PCC Matt Storey said: “The results of the operation in the past year speak for themselves – but we can’t afford to be complacent with organised crime.
“The life blood of organised crime gangs (OCGs) is profiting from other people’s misery. OCGs will not stop preying on members of the public so we won’t stop working together to deter the criminals and punish those, who are found guilty of committing crime.”
Cleveland figures
Cleveland Police’s Director of Intelligence Kate Rennie said: “Serious and organised crime including drugs supply, exploitation, and cyber and economic crime has no boundaries.
“By working with our counterparts at NEROCU, Northumbria and Durham under Operation Sentinel we have strength in numbers and can maximise our success by sharing information, technology, resources, expertise and best practice.
“We’re seeing good results locally – for example in just the 12 months up to March 2026 Cleveland Police made over 500 arrests, seized 242 kilos of drugs and nearly £230, 000 in cash.
“We also removed numerous weapons – including 24 firearms – from our streets, secured charges on 114 people and saw 40 sentences with a combined total of more than 170 years issued at court. Crucially, we have also safeguarded both children and vulnerable adults.
“This week we’ve reaffirmed our commitment to identifying and targeting anyone suspected of being involved in serious and organised crime, to dismantling organised crime groups and protecting vulnerable people and victims under Operation Sentinel.
“We’ll also keep up our prevention and enforcement activity by working with local authorities, health providers and other partners including local communities to prevent these crimes from happening in the first place.
“Finally, by providing bespoke input and advice to schools, care homes, financial institutions and businesses, we can reduce the number of victims and drive down this serious offending which can cause such harm in our communities.”
Public education
As well as pursuing offenders, Operation Sentinel is about ensuring police do everything they can to prevent organised crime from happening and people becoming victims. This includes work with communities such as schools, care homes, training with banks and cyber workshops for businesses.
If you have concerns or information about organised crime, please contact to Cleveland Police via their website or 101. Always dial 999 in an emergency.
You can also contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.