Nearly £40,000 worth of drugs found in county drug line sting operation
Northamptonshire Police found over £37,000 in cash and was seized
Northamptonshire Police have seized a variety of drugs with an estimated street value of almost £40,000 in an effort to tackle county drug lines.
The force carried out a week of intense raids on county lines, with a total of 12 separate warrants being executed in towns including Northampton, Kettering, Corby and Wellingborough.
A total of 18 different people were arrested by officers for a number of different offences during the sting operation, including possession with intent to supply drugs, conspiracy to supply drugs, possession of offensive weapons and driving while disqualified.
As well as this, thousands of pounds worth of cash was seized as well as counterfeit goods, phones and SIM cards.
On top of this, several weapons were also found including knuckle dusters, hammers, BB guns and a gas-powered firearm.
In total, £39,000 worth of drugs was found - including heroin and crack cocaine, while £37,000 worth of cash was discovered and seized.
Two referrals for modern slavery were also made as the force stepped in to protect children who had concerns about children missing from home.
Speaking on the incident, Detective Alex O'Meara from the force said that the force had given officers the chance to help crack down and inform people on the impact drugs have on the county.
"In addition to the enforcement activity conducted throughout the week, we ran an awareness-raising campaign to highlight the types of exploitation that come with county lines drug dealing, including visits to 15 schools across the county where we spoke to almost 2,000 children," O'Meara said.
"Visits were also made to more than 100 businesses in the county to share County Lines campaign materials, and community engagement events were held at a number of venues.”