Almost 30 arrests made in week-long crackdown on county lines in Suffolk
Suffolk Police has taken part in a week of action.
Almost 30 arrests were made by Suffolk Police during a week of action tackling county lines drug dealing last week.
29 arrests were made in total in the county.
Over £12k in cash and 10 weapons were also seized by officers.
Welfare and safeguarding checks were carried and officers also visited schools to deliver presentations about the dangers of drug use.
The national crackdown was run jointly by the National Police Chiefs Council and the National Crime Agency, and it was focused on disrupting the activities of those involved in county lines.
Chief Supt Marina Ericson said: "This week of action is another demonstration of how determined we are to root out the scourge of drugs from our communities.
"This week saw more dedicated activity, but it is important to recognise that that our work to address the issue of 'county lines' and drug supply is something we tackle all year round.
"We have our three proactive Sentinel teams based across the county who tackle serious and organised criminal activity, much of which is linked to drug trafficking offences.
"Additionally, with our Serious Crime Disruption Teams, Operation Scorpion teams and locally based officers, we are determined to stay as proactive as possible and conducting regular intelligence led operations linked to illegal drug trafficking."
"Enforcement by police alone will not be enough to solve drug crime and we cannot arrest our way out of the issue. Drug crime has links to knife and other violent and gang related offences and is complex social problem requiring input and action by other partners. Only by this approach can the root causes and the long-term effects be addressed. "
"We want to help those vulnerable members of the community, who get caught-up in this kind of activity to support their habit and break the cycle. It is about ensuring the next generation can grow up in a safe county without fear of violence or intimidation."
Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk Tim Passmore said: "I applaud the continued focus of the Constabulary in stamping out serious and organised criminal activity in the county, this week of action shows this determination is paying dividends.
"I have been hugely impressed by the work of the relatively new Sentinel teams whose sole purpose is to focus on these most serious criminals and rid our county of these lawless individuals.
"Such people do enormous harm to our communities and catching them and prosecuting them is exactly what the public wants.
"My own role as commissioner of services to support victims plays an important part in making sure vulnerable victims of county lines crimes are appropriately cared for and I will do all I can to ensure this important work continues.
"This week of action has highlighted the good work being carried out by the Constabulary and I'd like to say well done to all involved."
What is a county line?
County Lines is the name given to a drug dealing model which involves criminals using phone lines to facilitate the supply of Class A drugs, normally between a major city and another county.
The line holder often exploits young people and children to move the drugs between counties, or coerce vulnerable adults by taking over their addresses from where they then deal drugs - that's known as cuckooing.