Police seize cocaine thought to be worth £75,000 during Northampton raids cracking down on County Lines gangs

Police in Northampton arrested 25 people and seized drugs thought to be worth £75,000 as part of a week-long crackdown on County Lines gangs.

The haul of white powder, thought to be cocaine, was discovered during one of 15 raids in the town earlier this month working in tandem with the East Midlands Special Operations Unit.

Weapons and cash were also discovered and one vulnerable person safeguarded.

Regional crime officers arrested more than 60 people, found drugs worth £200,000 and safeguarded 90 at-risk individuals between March 7 and March 13.

Hauls also included £80,000 of suspected heroin.

East Midlands Special Operations Unit co-ordinator, Stuart Jones, said: “The amount of disruption from this week will have caused a huge inconvenience to those in charge of running the lines.

"Our work doesn’t finish here, though, and we will continue to investigate those involved in County Lines, develop more intelligence to allow us to take further proactive action against those involved, and to safeguard those that sadly fall victim to such a selfish crime.

“We are committed to identifying and fighting signs of County Lines all year round, not just in this intensification week.

"But it’s absolutely great to see such high figures of vulnerable people safeguarded, dangerous criminals arrested, and drugs and weapons seized taken off the streets."

Across the region, 61 people were arrested for a number of offences including drug supply, modern slavery, money laundering and possession of offensive weapons, with dozens more arrests for unrelated matters.

Officers also seized almost £55,000 in cash, two imitation firearms and 27 other weapons plus multiple valuable assets including 15 vehicles.

■ Click HERE for more information on County Lines dealing and how to spot if someone you know could be involved

A huge amount of yet unquantified Class A and B drugs including more than £15,000 worth of cannabis was also taken off the streets as at least three County Lines phones were seized — effectively shutting them down.

County Lines is a term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs into one or more importing areas within the UK, using dedicated mobile phone lines or other form of ‘deal line.’

They are likely to exploit children and vulnerable adults to move and store the drugs and money, and will often use coercion, intimidation, violence (including sexual violence) and weapons.

Policing teams also engaged with taxi companies and visited hotels and train stations to raise awareness among staff and partners.

Detective Superintendent Lee McBride, Northamptonshire Police lead for tackling serious and organised crime, said: “These gangs exploit children and vulnerable adults and get them to do their bidding – coercing them to move and store drugs, money and weapons, and will often use intimidation and violence to pressurise them.

“We will do everything we can to stop them. If you have any information or concerns about this kind of activity, please continue to report it to us so we can support you and take action.”