Police seized cannabis, cash and weapons as part of their Operation Strongbox initiative.

The operation ran between the June 28 and October 31 and the Manx force worked with Isle of Man Customs and Excise, along with Merseyside North West Regional Crime Unit and Lancashire police.

Its aims were:

Provide high visibility policing at the ports of entry across the island using a multi-agency approach

Deter criminals and organised crime groups from coming to the island

Identify and protect the vulnerable

Increase intelligence gathering at the ports

Make the Isle of Man a harder target for criminals to operate within

The police claimed that it was a success.

’It has met the aims and achieved all of the initial objectives we set out to achieve,’ the force said in a statement.

The operation generated 23 arrests from 16 investigations at the Sea Terminal alone. In addition, 23 arrests from 25 investigations were triggered from the postal and courier system.

The number of people actually charged, however, so far is six. There was no information about the number of convictions.

A number of people arrested remain on police bail pending further inquiries, so the final outcomes cannot yet be ascertained.

The operation generated a seizure value of almost a quarter of a million pounds of combined drugs and cash.

There were 32 production (importation) of drugs offences identified and three possession offences.

There were five money laundering offences and two offences of possession of firearms.

Twenty-three of the 46 people arrested during the operation were stopped at the Sea Terminal.

Four people were given cautions and 11 were investigated but released without any formal action taken against them.

The use of the postal and courier system to import controlled drugs to the island during Covid-19 has continued since the reopening of the borders.

Of the drugs seized, £191,480-worth were through the post. The drugs seized at the Sea Terminal were worth £27,422.

Superintendent Stephen Maddocks said: ’We will continue to work and prevent criminals from coming to the island to exploit our way of life or vulnerable people in our community and if they do, we will investigate and deal with any criminality.’