North Yorkshire Police has arrested 17 people and safeguarded vulnerable people during a week of targeted action to disrupt county lines.
County lines is the name given to drug dealing where organised criminal groups (OCGs) move and supply drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.
The activity has coincided with a national “week of intensification” which is led by the National Crime Agency. Police forces across the country have worked together on a joint initiative to tackle drug dealers and safeguard vulnerable people who are exploited by organised crime gangs. The latest week of activity ran from Monday 7 March to Sunday 13 March.
Teams have executed warrants at addresses that are linked to drugs. As well as this they have also carried out several safeguarding visits to help prevent ‘cuckooing’ taking place – this is when County Lines drug dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person for a short time while they carry out their deals before returning to their town or city.
The week of hard-hitting action produced positive results for North Yorkshire Police. A golf ball sized amount of suspected class-A drugs and 21 wraps of suspected drugs were seized as well as almost £5000 in cash.
Police in Scarborough executed two drugs warrants. The first address resulted in the recovery of suspected cannabis, drug dealing equipment, cash and mobile phones. A 45-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply cannabis. The man was also arrested for possessing an offensive weapon in a public place. Following questioning, they were later released under investigation while enquiries continue.
At the second address there was nobody present when they forced the door open, but a search of the property resulted in the seizure of a suspected Class A drug believed to be a type of heroin. Enquiries are ongoing in the effort to make arrests in connection with suspected drug-dealing activity in the area.
Police in Scarborough also arrested four people on suspicion of Class A drug offences following an early morning vehicle stop. A white Audi car was pulled over on Burniston Road. Following a search of the vehicle, suspected drugs and cash were seized. The driver, a 39-year-old local man, was arrested on suspicion of possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply. The passengers, a 29-year-old man, a 25-year-old woman and an 18-year-old woman, were arrested on suspicion of possessing a Class A drug.
Detective Chief Inspector Lorraine Crossman-Smith who coordinated the week of activity in North Yorkshire, said:
“Whilst we work all year to take drugs off the streets of North Yorkshire this week of intensification has brought some substantial results. By disrupting supply lines and taking those involved out of circulation we can make North Yorkshire’s communities safer.
“We can only do this with the support and information that we get from residents so I would urge anyone with information about drug dealing in their community to call us on 101, we treat every piece of information as important.”
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