Police Get Tough On Drug Delivery By Rail!

Forty-five officers from Dyfed Powys, South Wales,West Midlands and British Transport Police were involved in an operation.

County Lines is a form of organised crime where criminals in urban areas use vulnerable people and children to transport, store and sell drugs in smaller county towns.

13 people were stopped and searched, and a 37-year-old man was arrested for possession of class A and class C drugs, as well as possession of an offensive weapon.

Three people were also reported for possession of cannabis and spice and two people were reported for possession of Class A drugs.

BTP Swansea Sergeant Ben Randall-Webb said: “It was fantastic to see all the forces come together to disrupt those who intend on using trains to transport drugs from Swansea to other towns and cities.

“We know County Lines activity is taking place on the rail network in this area, and it’s something we’re working hard to prevent – this operation is just one example of the many joint initiatives we have in place to tackle drugs gangs and protect the vulnerable people they exploit.”

British Transport Police has been carrying out County Lines operations across England, Wales and Scotland since it secured Home Office funding for a Taskforce in December 2019.

The main aims of the Taskforce are to tackle drugs on the railway network, and to protect children and vulnerable adults who are often exploited by gangs into selling or moving drugs.

Efforts are made to safeguard any vulnerable or exploited person arrested as part of County Lines, referring them to services built to encourage and support the person away from dangerous criminal activity.

BTP has partnered with The Children’s Society’s #LookCloser awareness campaign to encourage professionals and the public to ‘Look Closer’ for signs that a child may be at risk of criminal exploitation.

To date, 33 children have been referred to the National Referral Mechanism for safeguarding, nearly 600 arrests have been made and 288 drugs, 110 weapons and £220,000 in cash have been seized.

Taskforce lead, Detective Superintendent Gareth Williams said: “Our Taskforce is in a unique position, we operate nationally and target County Lines activity across the railway network.

“Our experience has proven that gangs who use the railway network rely on younger people to move drugs. These individuals are victims, forced through exploitation or intimidation into desperate situations, and it’s always our priority to make support available that can get them out of harm and away from crime.

“Key indicators include a teenager travelling long distances, alone with a large amount of cash, or avoiding any sort of authority at stations. These indicators are small but invaluable and help inform where we target next. This is an evolving understanding of County Lines offending and we are prepared to tackle it, wherever the intelligence leads us."