Tag: county-lines

Over 200 Arrested and Drugs Worth More Than £1 Million Seized in County Lines Operation

More than 200 people have been arrested and drugs worth more than £1 million have been seized during a week-long operation against county lines gangs in London. The Metropolitan Police said 222 people were arrested of which 105 were charged with a total of 223 offences between Feb. 27 and March 5. They said that…


Criminals Grooming Children With Fast Food Amid Cost of Living Crisis

The cost-of-living crisis has seen criminal gangs in the UK groom young children into their ranks by buying them food, child safety experts have said. In one case, a schoolchild who couldn’t afford lunch was bought fast food, while another was targeted with sweets and magazines, Parliament’s Education Committee was told on Tuesday. MPs heard…


70 County Lines Drug Rings Smashed by UK Police Operation

The Metropolitan Police has arrested 230 people and smashed 70 so-called county lines networks of drug dealers during an operation last week. The Met said on Thursday it had taken more than £4 million ($4.5 million) worth of Class A drugs—which include heroin and cocaine—off the streets of London. County lines is a term used…


Johnson Vows to Crack Down on Illegal Drugs

The UK government will “come down hard” on drug-dealing gangs, put “problem drug users” into rehab, and potentially take away users’ passports and driving licences, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday. It comes as policing minister Kit Malthouse gave a statement in Parliament on Monday outlining the government’s 10-year drugs strategy. According to the government, the…


Disproportionality in UK Police ‘Stop and Search’ Not Racist Says Former Senior Detective

The disproportionate number of young black males being stopped by UK police under its stop and search power is not due to officers being racist, a former senior detective said on Monday. Instead, he said, they are being stopped in higher numbers than other ethnicities because they are more frequently involved in street robberies, “county…