Nearly 2,000 arrests as police target 'county lines' drug gangs over one week - what are they doing the rest of the year?

Criminal gangs who exploit children and vulnerable adults to supply drugs across the country were targeted last week in a national police operation, which led to 241 mobile phone lines used to sell the drugs shut down.

County Lines is a term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs into one or more importing areas within the UK, using dedicated mobile phone lines to enable the supply of drugs.

The intensification week saw:

1965 arrests made (adults is 91.7% and children 8.3%)

Approx. 2.4 million cash seized

325 bladed weapons seized (inc knives, machetes, axes & swords)

93 other weapons seized (inc knuckledusters, ASPS, batons, hammers, nun chucks)

83 Firearms seized (15 S.1, 29 S.5 and 39 imitation plus ammunition)

241 deal lines seized

Approx. 178.49 kg of Class A drugs (16.1kg crack, 11kg heroin, 151.3kg cocaine)

Approx. 7,217 Class A wraps seized ready for sale

Approx. 11,200 thousand cannabis plants

6 Dangerous Dogs seized

584 cuckooed addresses visited

395 females safeguarded (214 adults, 181 under 18)

784 males safeguarded (345 adults, 439 under 18)

Often, children and vulnerable adults are groomed to transport drugs and money to different parts of the country. Last week local officers worked with charities and safeguarding services to ensure 620 children and 559 adults identified as being exploited were supported via numerous routes including, specialist support referrals (such as to Catch22 or London’s Violence and Exploitation Service), strategy meetings, safety plans created and Modern Slavery investigations.

The Police are bringing victimless prosecutions for modern slavery offences against perpetrators, just one of the many ways officers are protecting young people. Victimless prosecutions ensure children and vulnerable adults are spared the ordeal of having to go through the court process to give evidence and face the violent and abusive individual responsible for their suffering.

Commander Paul Brogden, NPCC lead for County Lines, said: “Protecting communities is our top priority and the arrests of these organised criminals who control and hold drug lines will contribute hugely to this.

“Over the past week we have seen an overwhelming amount of drugs seized and arrests made and this will have had a substantial impact on drug supply and associated crime, particularly violence, that comes with it.

“The intensification work isn’t just about arrests and seizures, it’s also about crime prevention, identifying the people being exploited for other’s gain and making sure they receive the best support possible.

“To be clear, we remain persistent in pursuing these offenders and our officers work tirelessly all year round to identify and close down these drug lines. We will continue to root out those who are exploiting the vulnerable and supplying drugs which devastates communities across the country.”

Officers across the country concentrated efforts to crack down on County Lines.

In a joint operation between BTP and Northamptonshire Police, officers arrested four suspects linked to a county line at their home addresses. As a result, five mobile phones, approximately 7g of crack cocaine and 10g of heroin as well as 43 wraps of crack cocaine and 43 wraps of heroin, 99.5g of mixing agent, and a total of £33,000 cash seized. Both the drugs and cash were found concealed in the extractor fans in the kitchen of their respective addresses and in a hide in one of the vehicles. They were arrested for the supply of crack cocaine, heroin, and money laundering.

A child found at one of the addresses has also been referred to social services.

Eastern Region Special Operations Unit arrested a man for the supply of class A and B drugs and seized a phone which contained marketing texts consistent with cocaine supply.

Officers from East Midlands Special Operations Unit conducted a search at an address in Derby where £3,400 in cash, approximately £2,130 worth of class A drugs, 213 wraps (23 heroin and 190 crack cocaine) 4g of cannabis, and two burner phones, were found and seized. A man was subsequently arrested for supply of class A, possession of class B drugs and driving a motor vehicle without a license. He was remanded to court where he pleaded guilty to all offences and has been remanded into custody.

BTP officers observed a suspect exiting a B&B and entering a vehicle known for drug dealing. The vehicle was stopped, and both the suspect and the driver were arrested. Over 18 grams of heroin and six wraps of cocaine and £1,000 cash, as well as an axe and two imitation guns, were seized.

West Mercia Police executed a warrant in stoke where three men and two women were arrested following a seizure of 8kg cannabis, 2kg amphetamine, 1.2kg cocaine, 5kg cannabis resin, £50,000 cash and a knuckleduster. Children found at the address were also safeguarded.

Dedicated County Lines investigators within Lincolnshire Constabulary, completed enforcement activity on the ‘Yum Yum’ drugs line, identified via intelligence and phone data. Following the arrest and closure of this County Line, a child victim of exploitation was identified. A subsequent Modern Slavery investigation was commenced, and an adult male was charged with the trafficking of a 15year old child.

Analysis by the NPCC-led National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) has shown that many of the drug dealers are known to police for offences of violence and/or weapons whilst Dame Carol Blacks independent review of drugs found that County Lines is a very violent business model and a big causal factor in drug-related violence across the UK.

Coordinated by the NCLCC, the County Lines Intensification Week (Monday 23 – Sunday, 29 June) saw approximately 178.49 kg of Class A drugs, 500 weapons including 325 bladed weapons (e.g. knives), and £2.4 million in cash seized by officers across England and Wales, making a huge dent in the profit these gangs are making from their violent illegal business.

This activity forms a key part of our national County Lines policing strategy, which aims to prevent County Lines, protect children and vulnerable adults, prepare communities to mitigate against the harms and impact, and pursue offenders including for Drugs Supply, Modern Slavery and Weapons offences: National County Lines Policing Strategy 2024-27.

Policing Minister, Dame Diana Johnson said: "County Lines drug running relies on the coercion and exploitation of children and vulnerable people. It must be stopped.

"I want to thank every police officer who dedicates themselves to combatting this criminality. I recently saw firsthand how hard they work to close lines, bring perpetrators to justice and safeguard those exploited by this evil trade.

"Protecting vulnerable people should always be at the heart of the police's response and is why the government has introduced new laws which will punish the heartless gangs who lure people into their illegal trade further- including specific offences of child criminal exploitation, cuckooing and coerced internal concealment."

Tackling County Lines requires a multi-agency approach and our dedicated policing teams work alongside key partners to deliver that response. This County Lines intensification week ran in partnership with The Children’s Society and their #LookCloser campaign to spot the signs of exploitation in children and young people.

James Simmonds-Read, National Programme Manager at The Children’s Society, said: “Too many children continue to be exploited by criminals to carry and sell drugs, often under threat, at great personal risk and with devastating consequences for their lives.

“We speak to young people all the time who tell us that adults won't take action to keep them safe; instead they feel judged and blamed – their vulnerabilities overlooked or ignored.

“County Lines Intensification Week is a chance to show them that adults do care and will step in to protect them.

“The government’s pledge to define criminal child exploitation is a vital step that will mean that children caught up in county lines are recognised as victims, not offenders, and can be given the support they deserve.”

Kate Wareham, Strategic Director - Young People Families and Communities, Catch22 says: "As policing efforts rightly intensify to disrupt criminal networks, we must be equally focused on ensuring that exploited children are not swept up as offenders.

“These children are victims first and foremost, who are coerced and controlled - and they need safeguarding, not prosecution. The government’s recent commitment to a statutory definition of Child Criminal Exploitation is a crucial step, but now we must ensure that this translates into practice. At Catch22, across our County Lines and Child Exploitation services, we remain committed to working with partners across the system to protect every child from harm and help them build a safer future."

In London, the Met Police shut down over 100 drug lines as part of its efforts to reduce the number of vulnerable people exposed to criminality and abuse and tackle wider associated violence.

Met officers arrested 301 people believed to be behind county lines drug networks, with 111 individuals subsequently charged, so far.

As well as this, 260 vulnerable or young people were engaged with and safeguarded to prevent their involvement in future organised crime, with officers making crucial interventions to keep them safe.

Detective Superintendent Dan Mitchell, from the Metropolitan Police Service and National County Lines Coordination Centre, said:

“The Commissioner recently spoke about the indisputable link between county lines and violence. Disrupting county lines is not only vital in keeping society’s most vulnerable safe, but also as a key part of our mission in tackling violence.

“The criminals behind these networks are dangerous individuals, capable of manipulating and exploiting anyone to achieve their aims.

“Dedicated Met officers continue to work closely with other police forces around the UK to ensure dangerous offenders are stopped.”

Met officers also seized substantial evidential items from suspects during the same week, including:

12 firearms

78 dangerous weapons (including samurai swords and Zombie knives)

nearly 70kg of class A drugs (such as crack cocaine and heroin),

over £600,000 of cash

On Thursday, 26 June a county line between London and Hampshire was also halted by police. They arrested four male suspects at addresses in London and Portsmouth.

At one address in the Isle of Dogs, London, a suspect was arrested and found in possession of several class A and class B drugs, cash amounting to over £5,000 and several high-value items including sports cars and designer watches.

Two others were arrested at addresses in Portsmouth and one was detained at London Gatwick Airport.

There have since been charges relating to these arrests.

For more information on county lines and how to prevent yourself or a loved one from becoming a victim, visit:  www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/cl/county-lines

Essex News and Investigations Opinion

The thing with these high intensity operations is that it is obvious that they sit on stuff at other times of the year so they can hit all these in one go at the same time to boost numbers and make themselves look good with high number headlines. But that means for many months over the rest of the year, they know these people are active but don't take any action. Smoke and mirrors all the way.