Police forces in the region have been targeting ‘county lines’ drug networks as part of a concerted effort to crackdown on the exploitation of vulnerable people.
County lines is the name given to a form of organised crime in which drug dealers from large gangs exploit vulnerable people - including children - and force them to deal drugs. It takes its name from the mobile phone lines used by dealers to communicate between towns and advertise their drugs for sale.
Suspected gangs, who also recruit addicts or people with mental health issues, to peddle their illicit drugs were subjected to a number of coordinated raids by officers across the Durham Constabulary, Cleveland Police and North Yorkshire Police force areas.
The unscrupulous drug dealers use gifts and rewards as well as threats and intimidation to persuade vulnerable people to take part in their criminal enterprise.
In some case the gangs move into a vulnerable person’s home and use it as a drugs den or a base for the dealing operations. While in other cases they prey on impressionable young people and use gifts and cash as an incentive to work for them.
Read more: Drugs, cash and weapons seized during early morning raids across the North East
Inspector Dean Haythornthwaite, from Darlington Neighbourhood Police Team, said: “The point of this operation was to target those people who we believe are involved in the supply of drugs and exploiting people, whether that is young people or people who have other vulnerabilities, such as drug addiction or mental health problems, it was about targeting those people exploiting others in the commission of their crime.”
Many people caught up in the ‘county lines’ networks are vulnerable for a number of reasons and can easily fall prey to these gangs.
Insp Haythornthwaite added: “Safeguarding vulnerable people is a vital tool in the fight against county lines and we rely on intelligence from members of the public to help us do this.
“If you know of a vulnerable person who may be involved in county lines, or you simply see something that doesn’t look right, then please report it so we can act on it.”
In the Cleveland Police force area, officers have witnessed young people as young as 11 and 12 being lured into the perceived ‘glamorous’ lifestyle of a drug dealer.
Detective Superintendent John Bent, of Cleveland Police, said: “The critical part for us is protecting vulnerable people and there are a lot of young children who have become involved and exploited.
“They maybe see a little bit of money as a result of it or a little bit of camaraderie with people but they are just being exploited.”
In North Yorkshire, the force has been focussing on young people who have been groomed and exploited by drug dealers often travel long distances on public transport to deliver money and drugs.
Officers also 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.
And they have been carrying out proactive safeguarding and welfare checks at hotels and B&B’s where known vulnerable persons are residing.
Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Simpson said some of the things to look out for if you suspect someone is being groomed by a county lines gang, include children persistently going missing from school or home; unexplained money, clothes, or mobile phones; and increased callers at a property at all times of the day or night.
Read next:
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here