A two-month police operation known as Rock the Block ended with the arrest Tuesday of a dozen alleged "chronic" drug dealers.

Officers with the Victoria Police Department's Focused Enforcement Team and Strike Force Unit have been targeting an increase in the peddling of drugs in plain sight in the 800- and 900-blocks of Pandora Ave.

Undercover police drug buys ended in the arrest of 17 suspected male and female drug traffickers, including 12 on Tuesday.

"Alone, these 12 individuals have been responsible for over 2,400 contacts with VicPD over the years, and are all well-known to officers," Const. Mike Russell said in a statement.

Of those arrested Tuesday, one suspect is from Langford, five live in Victoria, one is from Sooke and the others are of no fixed address. They range from 29 to 53 years old.

All face drug-trafficking charges, among others, and were scheduled to be in court on Wednesday.

emccracken@vicnews.com