Drug dealers handed 300 years in prison for County Lines crimes
Officers in Norfolk have gone above and beyond to try and prevent illegal substances entering the county
Last updated 7th Apr 2023
Norfolk officers have helped secure over 300 years in prison for criminals smuggling heroin and crack cocaine into the county.
The Constabulary's dedicated County Lines team has managed to shut down a total of 74 lines.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio Norfolk, Chief Constable Paul Sanford, said: "We're really proud.
"County Lines is one of the most serious threats to Norfolk. It results in serious violence. We've been targeting those at the top. So to lock them up for 300 years is a massive achievement."
What is a county line?
County Lines are operated by a 'line-holder' who utilises an unregistered mobile phone to organise the trafficking of Class A drugs from big cities like London, to other areas of the county.
In the process they harass vulnerable young people and adults into doing their dirty work for them.
To combat their ability to elude detection, Norfolk's constabulary's specialist team of a mere seven members, used in-depth phone data analysis to hunt down those ‘line-holders’ to prevent the movement of drugs at the source.
Chief Constable Sanford explained: "Our operations are becoming increasingly sophisticated and we're using modern day techniques to catch these criminals.
"But we're also using some good old fashioned policing. My officers, I must give them credit. They're working all hours of the day, and it's producing some really good results for us."
"Over the last three years, the police have secured 82 convictions of principals and conspirators and a total of 315 years and 11 months of prison time given out."
Detective Inspector Robin Windsor-Waite, who leads Norfolk Constabulary’s County Lines team said:
“Targeting those at the top of the pyramid disrupts the entire supply chain into our county.
“Thanks to the hard work of our officers, it is now much harder to get hold of Class A drugs in Norfolk.
“At the peak of county lines activity, Class A drug users in Norfolk were being bombarded by dozens of messages every day offering them deals. Now, once we’ve closed a line, users have the time and space to seek the support they need.
“Our tactics have been so successful that we have had a 100% conviction rate with all the lines we have targeted. Of the 82 people convicted, all bar one pleaded guilty (due to the strength of the evidence presented by my team, meaning no costly trial.”