53 people arrested after ‘thousands of pounds worth of drugs’ seized across Lancashire during county lines crackdown

44 men, four women and five people under the age of 18 were arrested during a crackdown on county lines gangs in Lancashire last week.

Thousands of pounds worth of Class A and Class B drugs were also seized along with weapons, cash and 27 mobile phones.

Police also safeguarded 80 vulnerable people, provided educational visits to schools across the county and visited bus stations, train stations and taxi ranks to raise awareness around County Lines, delivering messages and leaflets.

Becky Smith, Lancashire Constabulary’s Force lead for County Lines, said: “We are working harder than ever to crack down on County Lines criminals who bring drug dealing and violence into our communities.

“This week’s activity is a snapshot of the work carried out across Lancashire every single day to disrupt those involved in organised crime and tackle County Lines.

“Along with our partners in Children’s Social Services, Health and Education, we will continue this work, also driving awareness in schools and identifying those vulnerable to exploitation so that we can provide appropriate safeguarding.”

“Our intention is to make Lancashire an uncomfortable place for these criminals to operate and we are committed to continuing to work alongside our partners and other forces to close down these lines, protect vulnerable people and remove those who exploit from our streets”

During school visits, officers provided education on how gangs criminally exploit children and adults as well as giving advice on the signs to look for if somebody is being exploited.

Signs include children frequently going missing and then returning home, having more clothes, mobile phones, or cash than usual, receiving excessive text messages or phone calls and disengagement from school.

If you believe that someone may be involved in County Lines or other drugs activity, report it by calling 101.

Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Call 999 if you think someone is in immediate danger.

More information on County Lines in Lancashire can be found by on https://eyes-open.co.uk/area/lancashire/ or https://lancashire.police.uk/help-advice/safer-communities/county-lines/.