Officers arrest 18 during county lines crackdown

A week-long county lines crackdown has resulted in18 arrests and thousands of pounds worth of drugs and other goods seized.

Last week (23-29 June) officers across the force were involved in targeted action dedicated to disrupting county lines operations, safeguarding victims of exploitation, and holding criminals to account.

County lines crime involves the use of phone lines, usually by organised crime groups (OCGs) to organise the trade of illegal drugs from cities into more rural areas.

County lines OCGs exploit vulnerable people, including children, individuals struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, and other vulnerable adults, forcing them to become involved in their criminal activity.

In many cases, criminals will take over a vulnerable person’s home to use as a base for their drug dealing – this is known as cuckooing.

The week of action saw great results across South Yorkshire, with 18 individuals arrested on suspicion of offences linked to county lines activity.

Additionally, officers provided safeguarding to more than 100 people in the community at risk of criminal exploitation.

Thousands of pounds worth of goods were seized, including £50,000 worth of jewellery, £30,000 in cash, and eight mobile phones suspected to be used to facilitate county lines operations.

Dangerous Class A drugs were also taken off the street, with 42g of crack, 5g of cocaine, and roughly 500g of magic mushrooms seized during the week of action.

Officers worked alongside partner agencies in a joint effort to disrupt county lines operations in South Yorkshire.

Valuable training and advice was given to staff at hotels and Air BnBs across the force area to ensure that staff are able to spot the signs of trafficking. Human trafficking and modern slavery is a particularly harrowing aspect of county lines crimes, with children often victims of this form of criminal exploitation.

Other safeguarding initiatives included visits to addresses where intelligence suggested cuckooing may be taking place, and sharing presentations with staff at primary schools, high schools, and colleges.

Detective Superintendent Pete Quinn, leading the week of action, said:

“County lines criminals are a corrosive element of our society, preying on the most vulnerable, and peddling drugs that destroy lives.

“Over the course of the week of action, our officers worked in tandem with key partners to fight back against these criminal groups and protect victims.

“We conducted warrants to find and destroy illegal drugs, carried out safeguarding actions for victims of exploitation, and took part in outreach at schools and elsewhere in South Yorkshire to educate people about the dangers of county lines gangs.

“But we do not stop when the week of action ends – dedicated officers are working every day to dismantle these OCGs and remove the harmful drugs which fund their activities.

“Criminal gangs have no place in South Yorkshire, their pernicious offending will not be tolerated, and we will act to make the region safe for everyone.”