18 arrests and more than £100,000 seized in County Durham county lines crackdown

Officers have made 18 arrests and seized more than £100,000 in cash following a series of pre-planned warrants carried out across County Durham earlier this month, as part of a crackdown on county lines drug networks.

During the operation, officers recovered a number of items from addresses across the county including mobile phones, drugs, a pistol and other weapons.

The activity also supported the national County Lines Intensification Week, which saw police forces across the country working together to disrupt drug supply networks and prevent illegal drugs from being transported between areas.

County lines is a term used to describe criminal networks transporting illegal drugs from one area to another, often across police force or local authority boundaries. These networks frequently exploit children and vulnerable people, coercing them into moving and selling drugs on their behalf.

Protecting vulnerable people who are targeted and exploited by these networks remains a key priority for officers.

The work forms part of ongoing activity alongside the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit, which during the intensification week saw 84 arrests made, 12 drug dealing lines shut down and 16 vulnerable people safeguarded.

Detective Chief Inspector Lindsay Brown said: “We remain robust and agile in our fight to tackle organised drug crime, and intensification weeks like this are just one of the additional tools we use to dismantle county lines networks.

“These criminal groups target some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, which is why we will not stop in our efforts to protect those at risk of exploitation.

“While arrests are important, the phones we seize also provide vital intelligence to help us identify dealer lines and the individuals behind them.”

Anyone with information about drug activity or suspected county lines exploitation is encouraged to contact police on 101.

Information can also be reported anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org