Week-long county lines crackdown sees 1,600 arrested as £3 million worth of drugs and 557 weapons seized by police
6 December 2024, 00:22
More than 1,600 people have been arrested following a week-long crackdown on county lines drug gangs.
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The policing minister joined officers on an early morning raid in South-east London as forces across England and Wales took part in the "intensification week" which resulted in the arrest of 1,660 people.
The nationwide crackdown led to the closure of 261 county lines and the seizure of more than £3 million worth of drugs, 557 weapons and four XL bully dogs, with 80 to 90 per cent of those apprehended expected to be charged.
Following the crackdown, which ran from November 25 to December 2 - the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) raised concerns over the alarming number of children involved in the gangs as well as the "unwelcome emergence" of synthetic opioids.
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson called county lines "one of the most violent and exploitative models of drug supply", adding: "We are determined to stop these heartless gangs from luring young people into a life of crime."
She said she saw "first-hand" over the week how hard police officers work to stop county lines activity.
Dame Diana joined a raid in Plumstead at 4am, PA News Agency reports.
"It's unusual," Commander Paul Brogden, NPCC lead for county lines, told the publication.
"Obviously the policing minister is a very senior Government minister, we don't often see them at 4am in the morning and we're really grateful for her to take the time out and come and see some of the operational teams."
Police are working to take a “prevention-first” approach to the scourge of county lines and "safeguarded" 1,434 people over the week - almost half of which were children.
Mr Brogden added: "My appeal is to parents: Just be conscious of what your children are doing.
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The number of synthetic opioids present in county lines drug running gangs as seen an “unwelcome” increase, the police chief warned.
"Any indication that we have synthetic opioids in the drug supply chain, we are acting very, very quickly to close those lines down," Mr Brogden said.
"We don't believe it's well embedded in terms of the drug supply market here in the UK but it's something that we're all working together on, particularly with agencies such as the National Crime Agency."
As part of the crackdown, police seized more than £3 million worth of class A and B drugs, including 5.2kg of crack cocaine, 6.1kg of heroine, 33.5kg of cocaine and around 19,000 cannabis plants, were seized over the raids.
Police also seized almost £2 million in cash.
The North East Regional Organised Crime Unit arrested three people at an American sweet and vape shop and seized a large quantity of amphetamine and diazepam.
Of the weapons found, 75 were firearms, 377 were bladed weapons and 105 were other weapons such as knuckledusters, nunchucks and hammers.
Four XL bullies were seized - the breed often used to "protect" a drugs market and premises, Mr Brogden explained.
"I do feel for the animals who are being again drawn into this through no fault of their own," he said, "but unfortunately we have seen four XL bullies which, as we know, are now banned."
Police also visited 853 addresses that had been taken over by the drug gangs in a process known as cuckooing.
