Police raid sixteen Birmingham addresses in 'largest single drug operation'
Last updated 23rd May 2023
West Midlands Police have been carrying out drug raids in Birmingham- arresting nine people in a crackdown on organised drugs gangs.
240 Police officers targeted 16 properties in Birmingham and Solihull, as well as one address in Essex, as part of a focus on county lines groups.
As the suspects were all associates, the raids had to happen at exactly 5am to avoid any of them getting a warning that police were on their way.
It's believed those involved in running four drug lines take up to 1000 calls a day and are selling up to ÂŁ100,000 worth of Class A drugs per week.
Chief constable Craig Guildford said: "These arrests are really important because we are responding to local intelligence. County lines is a scourge, it drives serious and organised crime, burglary, robbery, knife crime and we attend to really focus down on it."
Crime and Policing Minister Chris Philp said: “County lines drug trafficking is a vile form of criminality that uses intimidation and violence to force vulnerable people and children to do a gang’s dirty work.
“I commend West Midlands Police for their relentless efforts removing these awful individuals from our streets.
"Our County Lines Programme is delivering clear successes in the fight against this exploitative trade and we in government are steadfast in our support to police to stop these heinous crimes.
"Officers are now conducting searches of each property as the eight men and one woman, aged from 19 to 35, remain in a dedicated custody facility to face questioning later today."
Police say they will now deliver targeted support to tackle drug dependency in the communities most affected.