Suffolk Police arrest forty in county lines drug gang crackdown
The county line is the mobile phone line used to take the orders of drugs.
Suffolk Police tell us they've arrested 40 people and charged a number of others during their week long operation to crack down on county lines drug gangs.
County lines is where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, often across police and local authority boundaries, and often by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs.
The county line is the mobile phone line used to take the orders of drugs.
Chief Inspector Matt Bodmer said: “We have come together again as one team in Suffolk to protect those most vulnerable and disrupt those who decide to deal drugs on the streets of Suffolk.
“What has been key to the successful week has been the opportunities to visit those who are vulnerable to being exploited by drug dealers but also educate communities around what signs to look for and how to raise concerns with police and partners.
“The arrests, warrants and searches have been focused on key individuals that intelligence suggests are bringing this type of criminality to the neighbourhoods in Suffolk, affecting communities and placing extra demands on services.
“The results demonstrate the positive approach we are taking to make Suffolk a hostile place for those linked to county lines to operate in.
“County lines remain a focus for police and in Suffolk we have seen successes in disrupting lines with our considered, holistic approach.
"I would like to thank our partners, communities and local media who support Suffolk Constabulary in disrupting this criminality.”
The operation involved local policing teams across the county, as well as investigative, proactive and specialist teams.
Across the county there were 40 arrests with disruption to a number of county lines gangs. In total 11 people were charged with a variety of offences.
Weapons recovered included three knives and six imitation firearms that were found to be air and ball-bearing style guns.
Five referrals were submitted where there were concerns over people being exploited, linked to county lines.
Part of the force’s work with vulnerable people and exploitation included cuckoo address checks. Cuckooing is a practice where people take over a person's home and use the property to facilitate exploitation, for example using the home as a base to deal drugs from.
Multiple address checks were carried out across the force. As well as providing support and guidance to the residents of these addresses, the checks resulted in the identification of a suspected active county line, with two arrests made.
Community engagement events took place throughout the week with 2,862 young people and 358 adults engaged with.
These events included pop up community events, college and school inputs, sessions with emergency services cadets and visits to night-time economy venues and hotels to provide support and explain what county lines is and what to look out for.
These events were all focused on highlighting the signs of exploitation through county lines.
Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said: “Once again the results from this week of action are excellent. Removing this hideous crime from Suffolk is a top priority for all agencies and in particular our police force.
“Prosecuting these offenders and bringing them to justice will make Suffolk much safer and as long as I am Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner I will do all I can to support the constabulary and other agencies in this vital work."