County Lines Intensification Week October 2022

North Yorkshire Police have arrested 27 people and made 60 welfare visits to vulnerable people during a national week of action to tackle “county lines” drug dealing.

County lines is the name given to a form of organised crime in which drug dealers from larger cities exploit vulnerable people - including children - and force them to deal drugs in smaller towns and cities. It takes its name from the mobile phone lines used by dealers to communicate between towns and advertise their drugs for sale.

The week of action took place between 3 and 9 October 2022 and was coordinated by the National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC).

During the high intensity week of action officers arrested 27 people on suspicion of drugs offences ranging from the possession of controlled substances through to being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs. Two bladed weapons were recovered as well as over £5,000 in cash and £10,000 in what is suspected drugs.

The arrests took place in Harrogate, Ripon, York, Selby, Whitby, Scarborough and Filey (see the below arrest round up for further details).

Several teams from North Yorkshire Police were deployed to work on the week of action. The force’s intelligence team were responsible for working within the community to identify suspects and vehicles involved in the supply of drugs. The operation expedite team is the force’s dedicated county lines team, they were out on the streets proactively stopping people and vehicles that are linked to the supply of drugs. The Operational Support Unit also assisted with proactive patrols and the execution of warrants across the county.

Specialist drugs dogs were used in a joint operation. This included officers from the Operation Expedite Team, Harrogate Neighbourhood Policing Team as well as licencing officers from North Yorkshire County Council. The dogs were used to disrupt the supply of drugs linked to the night time economy in Harrogate and Ripon.

Safeguarding and welfare checks

Safeguarding vulnerable people who are caught up in drug dealing is a major concern for North Yorkshire Police. The force continues to work with partner agencies to carry out welfare visits to vulnerable adults who are known or suspected as being vulnerable to county lines exploitation.

They were given advice and information about staying safe, how to spot the signs of county lines activity and how to get help from specialist organisations for drug and alcohol addiction.

A joint visit between the police and a drug referral worker from Changing Lives resulted in a vulnerable user accepting a drug programme and progression towards restoring a methadone script.

Young people who have been groomed and exploited by drug dealers often travel long distances on public transport to deliver money and drugs. Officers engaged with transport providers including taxi and bus drivers to raise awareness of how to spot children who may have been exploited and are travelling to North Yorkshire to sell drugs. Proactive safeguarding and welfare checks were also conducted at hotels and B&B’s where known vulnerable persons are residing.

 

(PCSO Nicole Randalll conducting a safeguarding visit at

Premier Inn, Catterick)

Officers held County Lines stalls in public areas for engagement within our communities and with members of the public.

Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Simpson who supported the coordinated the week of activity in North Yorkshire Police commented:

“Although this is a fantastic set of results from the last seven days, it’s important to stress that this is very much business as usual for North Yorkshire Police.

“Out teams are out and about conducting warrants and intercepting the supply of drugs week in week out.

“Drug use has serious implications on people’s health and impacts on the quality of life for communities.

“We will not tolerate the use of drugs in our county. 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.”

SPOT THE SIGNS

Cuckooing

Cuckooing is the term given when drug dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person and use it at a base to sell and store drugs, often using violence and intimidation to achieve this.  Cuckooing victims are often drug users themselves, or people who are vulnerable due to a mental or physical disability, their age or lifestyle, such as sex workers and single mothers.

So please look out for your vulnerable neighbours and report any concerns you have.

Signs of cuckooing to look out for include

• Increased callers at a property at all times of the day or night
• Increase in cars pulling up for short periods of time
• Different accents at a property
• Antisocial behaviour at a property
• Not seeing the resident for long periods of time
• Drug-related rubbish – small plastic bags, syringes
• Windows covered or curtains closed for long periods
• Unexplained or untreated injuries

Children are groomed and exploited to deal drugs on behalf of organised criminals. These are the signs to look out for:

• Persistently going missing from school or home and / or being found out-of-area
• Unexplained money, clothes, or mobile phones
• Excessive receipt of texts / phone calls
• Relationships with controlling / older individuals or groups
• Leaving home / care without explanation
• Suspicion of physical assault / unexplained injuries
• Carrying weapons
• Significant decline in school results / performance
• Gang association or isolation from peers or social networks
• Self-harm or significant changes in emotional well-being
• Travelling long distances on public transport - is it term time? Should they be in school? Are they paying high cost fares with cash?

 

Anyone with concerns about county lines can speak to their local police on 101 or call 999 in an emergency. If you’d rather stay anonymous you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

If you are a young person who is worried about being involved in county lines, or knows someone who is, you can speak to an adult and let them know how you feel.

You can also contact www.fearless.org who allow you to pass on information about crime anonymously.

You can also contact Childline on 0800 1111 – they are a private and confidential service where you can talk to counsellors about anything that is worrying you.

Get help for drug addiction

North Yorkshire Rise – young people's specialist drug and alcohol service- freephone 08000 14 14 80 (option 2).

North Yorkshire Horizons - adult specialist drug and alcohol service - freephone 08000 14 14 80 – nyhorizons.org.uk  

Changing Lives - City of York Drug and Alcohol Service - 01904 464 680 - changing-lives.org.uk/services/drug-alcohol/york-drug-alcohol-support-services/   

NHS - uk/live-well/healthy-body/drug-addiction-getting-help/

FRANK helpline and information - https://www.talktofrank.com/

Arrest round-up

Across Harrogate, Craven, Hambleton and Richmondshire 11 individuals were arrested.

On Monday, officers detained a man in Harrogate who was suspected to be delivering drugs from his vehicle. He was found to be in possession of approximately £1500 worth of cannabis, suspected edibles (pictured below), and approximately £500 in cash. The 33-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a class-B drug and driving whilst under the influence of drugs. The man was released under investigation for further enquiries to allow the valuation of the drugs seized. 12220176374

 

 

On Friday officers suspected that a drug deal had just been conducted in a vehicle in the Jennyfields area of Harrogate. One man was detained in the vehicle, but the passenger managed to flee from the police. After a foot chase and an extensive area search, officers successfully detained and arrested a 48-year-old man on suspicion of supplying a class-A drug. This is suspected to be heroin. The first occupant a 43-year-old man was arrested for possession of class-A drug. Both men were released pending further investigation to allow for the drugs to be forensically tested for classification. 12220178966

Later that night officers detained a man from Manchester on Wetherby Road in Harrogate. He was suspected to be in the area dealing drugs. Officers conducted a search of the man and his vehicle and located approximately 30 individual packets of suspected cocaine. The 31-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of intent to supply a class-A drug. He was released under investigation to allow for the drugs to be forensically tested for classification. 12220179152

On the Yorkshire Coast six people were arrested.

Officers worked with the British Transport Police to target drug supply on the train network. A dedicated operation was set up with the Humberside police road crime team to intercept vehicles which are involved in drug supply between Humberside and North Yorkshire.

(Officers from the Operational Support Unit briefing on the Yorkshire Coast)

On Monday, officers conducted the execution of a warrant at a property in Whitby. Several quantities of what is suspected to be magic mushrooms, cocaine, and cannabis (edibles, herbal & resin) were found. Officers also found tablets which are suspected to be class-A and class-C drugs. A quantity of cash and a knife were also found in the property. A 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of procession with intent to supply. He was interviewed and released under investigation pending further investigation. 12220176119

On Friday officers conducted the execution of a warrant at a property in Scarborough. A large bag of what is believed to be cocaine was thrown from a window when officers forced entry. This has a street value of approximately £2000. During the search officers recovered deal bags, cash, two mobile phones and further wrap of white powder. This wrap has been field tested and confirmed to be cocaine. A 31-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a class-A drug. He was charged with concerned in offer to supply cocaine and possession with intent to supply cocaine. He was recalled to prison due to previous offending. 12220084219

In total 11 warrants were executed on the coast at addresses linked with drugs and county lines.

In York and Selby ten people were arrested.

Officers in York have conducted proactive cycle and plain clothes patrols in drug dealing hotspots. On Monday a 20-year-old man was sighted in York passing an item to another person in a suspected drugs deal. He was detained for the purpose of a search. The man was found to have three wraps of what is suspected to be a class a drug and a quantity of cash. He was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a class-A drug. Further searches in custody found £640 in cash and two further wraps of what is suspected to be a class a drug. He was released with conditional bail not to enter North Yorkshire. 12220176229

In Selby, officers attended an address to conduct a welfare check. A 19-year-old man from West Yorkshire was found to be at the address. He was arrested on suspicion of concerned in the supply of drugs. A search was carried out and a quantity of cash was found in his clothing. A bag of white powder which is suspected to be cocaine, was also found in the address. This is expected have the street value of £2100. He was interviewed and bailed with conditions not to enter North Yorkshire. A 32-year-old man who is also linked to the address was arrested nearby. He was later interviewed and released under investigation pending further investigation. 12220176774