Four suspects were arrested in Newark shortly after a vehicle break-in was reported.
Officers were called to Beech Grove at 11.37pm on Monday by the owner of a van who had seen people in the street trying to force entry.
A short time later officers spotted a car leaving the ASDA supermarket and detained the occupants.
Inside they found a large zombie-style knife, a quantity of cannabis and other items of evidence.
Two 17-year-old boys, an 18-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of possession of cannabis, possessing an offensive weapon and attempted theft from a motor vehicle.
The 18-year-old man was also detained on suspicion of driving without a licence and driving without insurance.
Detective Sergeant Clint Gloyn, of Nottighamshire Police, said:
“The officers in this case did an excellent job in tracking down these suspects so quickly.
“By doing so they removed a potentially deadly weapon from the streets and also took a quantity of illegal drugs out of circulation.”
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