Police in Shropshire have been carrying out a week-long operation targeting County Lines.
Officers have been working across Shropshire and cross border as part of the operation which has seen 14 people arrested.
Over £14,500 in cash has been seized and eight searches executed. Over 75 vehicles have been checked with officers also carrying out numerous stop searches.
Five houses have been searched with firearms, machetes, knives and large quantities of Class A and B drugs seized.
What is County Lines?
‘County Lines’ is a term used when drug gangs from big cities expand their operations to smaller towns, often using violence to drive out local dealers and exploiting children and vulnerable people to sell drugs. These dealers will use dedicated mobile phone lines, known as ‘deal lines’, to take orders from drug users. Heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine are the most common drugs being supplied and ordered.
County lines has a significant impact on local communities with drug dealers often targeting people who are vulnerable, often through drug or alcohol dependency, to use their home to facilitate drug dealing, a practice known as cuckoo-ing.
Report Concerns
To report concerns about county lines to police ring 101 or alternatively information can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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