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04
Jul
Five arrested after drugs seized in county-wide bust
Five people have been arrested following a drugs raid across North Yorkshire.
North Yorkshire Police today said officers took part in County Lines Intensification week between June 23 and 29, which focussed on dismantling county lines operations.
Officers executed six warrants across Harrogate, Scarborough, Selby and Richmond and visited 36 properties for safeguarding.
They seized blocks of what are suspected to be class A drugs and arrested five people in total.
County lines is the name given to cross-county drug operations led by organised crime gangs that recruit vulnerable people to move drugs from often bigger cities to smaller communities.
Today’s statement said:
Serious violence goes hand-in-hand with drugs supply and last week’s week of action focussed on knife crime. Various educational inputs were made in numerous schools encouraging young people to think about the consequences of taking drugs and carrying weapons.
The force added a key part of the week was to focus on ways to safeguard vulnerable people from exploitation, and officers made checks at addresses where people may have been subjected to cuckooing.
Cuckooing is when someone’s home is taken over and used to facilitate nefarious activity.
North Yorkshire Police detective superintendent, Fionna McEwan, said:
Even though North Yorkshire remains one of the safest places in the country we still have gangs that are associated with drugs supply that target young and vulnerable people who live here.
Our work during this latest intensification week mirrors what we do week in week out. I want to thank the fantastic partners we work with every day who help build intelligence, educate young people, protect those people who are being exploited, and target the offenders running these lines. It is the strength of the partnership that makes the difference.
To help us, we need the public to remain on our side by continuing to report suspicious activity to us. If you see anything suspicious, please get in touch with us, the information maybe the missing piece of the jigsaw that helps us to further protect our communities.
Resources
North Yorkshire Police also listed a number of resources for young people who may be involved in a county lines operation or know someone who is.
You can find them below:
- Contact www.fearless.org who allow you to pass on information about crime anonymously.- Contact Childline on 0800 1111 – they are a private and confidential service where you can talk to counsellors about anything that is worrying you.
The police also provided resources to support people with substance 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.
- York Drug and Alcohol Service – specialist support for adults and young people - 01904 464 680.
- For details on the range of sources of support in York, including York in Recovery, click here.
- DRUGFAM – Support for people affected by other people’s drug or alcohol misuse – 0300 888 3853.
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