Hi tech surveillance has helped North Yorkshire Police dismantle a number of county lines gangs over the last year.
Detective Superintendent Fran Naughton from the county's serious organised crime unit says national support has enable them to target encrypted phones used by the gangs.
The force says support from the national crime agency gave them vital evidence to help target the gangs.
Superintendent Fran Naughton says the challenge now is to stay ahead of the drugs gangs.
County Lines are defined as :
“A term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting
illegal drugs into one or more importing areas [within the UK], using dedicated mobile
phone lines or other form of “deal line”. They are likely to exploit children and vulnerable
adults to move [and store] the drugs and money and they will often use coercion,
intimidation, violence (including sexual violence) and weapons.
North Yorkshire Police are seen as an "importer Force" with County Lines impacting on North Yorkshire primarily originating from Merseyside, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.
The force says that in 2020 it identified 36 named County Lines, using 94 different numbers, three of which are still active. Some of the lines remained active and only changed their numbers, but most have been successfully disrupted.
So far in 2021 North Yorkshire Police says it has identified 20 different lines, using 22 numbers and that ten lines are currently active
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