Crime commissioner pledges extra police for Harrogate’s Mayfield Grove

The North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has pledged to push for increased policing in the Mayfield Grove area of Harrogate.

Philip Allott visited the area yesterday to hear concerns about crime and anti-social behaviour on Mayfield Grove and nearby streets, such as Mayfield Terrace and Nydd Vale Terrace.

He was invited by Paul Ivison, who has set up a residents group for people worried about drug dealing, car crime, speeding and anti-social behaviour, particularly in some houses in multiple occupation let by landlords, .

Mr Allott said:

“I will ask the police to step up neighbourhood policing in this area. I will ask them to target the drug dealers and make it hard for the supply chain to operate.”

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He also urged Harrogate Borough Council to take a tougher line against landlords that didn’t do enough to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour on their premises.

“The council possibly needs to be a little more active and realise this is a serious issue. I don’t think the district council has quite latched on to that.

“I will be asking Harrogate Borough Council to be more proactive and serve further closure notices against landlords where relevant.”

North Yorkshire Police and Harrogate Borough Council issued a three-month closure order on 38 Mayfield Grove in March. The two organisations can apply to a court for a closure order if they have concerns about antisocial behaviour and criminal behaviour on premises.

‘Abused by beggars’

Mr Ivison told the commissioner many town centre street beggars stayed in bedsits in the area and said the police should issue more Public Spaces Protection Orders to prevent begging in town, as many of those doing it weren’t genuine rough sleepers, were taking advantage of people and making a mess.

Mr Allott agreed the “town centre was being abused by beggars” who took advantage of “kindly, well disposed people who think they are helping”, adding:

“It’s patently clear a lot of these characters in the town centre are not what they present themselves to be.

“But I do recognise that there are a minority of people who through no fault of their own find themselves in a destitute position.”

Mr Allott said he supported the use of Public Spaces Protection Orders “where it is proportionate and necessary but not as a blanket measure”.

Nine county lines drug arrests in Harrogate in four days

Four days of police action targeting county lines drug dealing in Harrogate has resulted in nine arrests.

As well as the arrests, cocaine and heroin to an estimated street value of £2,600 was recovered. Eight mobile phones, one large hunting knife, £500 cash and other drugs were also retrieved.

In one incident, two men were arrested after being found with 26 bags of suspected MDMA, also known as ecstasy, and cocaine in a pizza box. The 18 and 28 year old have been released while under investigation.

According to a press release by North Yorkshire Police, four county lines operations took place on four days in February and March.

North Yorkshire Police worked alongside the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit to make the arrests.

Funding was given by the Home Office and the National County Lines Coordination Centre.

The operations also revealed a new county line impacting Harrogate.

A total of 76 welfare visits were made to vulnerable people considered to be at risk of county lines exploitation. They were told how to spot the signs of county lines activity as many don’t recognises themselves as victims.

During one operation, officers arrested four teenage boys from Leeds, one aged 16 and three aged 17, who were believed to be staying with a vulnerable person in Harrogate in a practice known as cuckooing.

This is where drug dealers stay in the homes of vulnerable people while selling drugs.

One of the boys was charged with possessing heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply and is awaiting trial. The other three remain on police bail while the investigation continues.

Another man, a 30-year-old from Southampton, was arrested in Harrogate. Officers found 11 wraps of suspected cocaine. He was also released under investigation.

Detective Sergeant Marcus Dawson of Harrogate-based Operation Expedite said:

“The safeguarding of vulnerable people continues to be a key focus of our work and these nationally funded days of action are very welcome, providing a boost to our existing proactive work, and allowing us to protect more people and disrupt more drug dealers.

“They also give us an opportunity the gather more intelligence about drug dealing. Members of the public can also help us protect vulnerable people by calling in information.”

Click here for help if you’re a parent or care and believe a child you care for is involved in drugs and drug dealing.

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Spot the signs of cuckooing and exploitation

Spot the signs that a young person may be exploited by drug dealers

Arrests soar as ‘county lines’ investigations continue

Almost 140 people were arrested across the Harrogate area in the last six months of 2020 as police investigations into county lines drugs continued.

North Yorkshire Police has prioritised the crime through Operation Expedite, based in the town, to deal with drug dealing and the exploitation of vulnerable people.

As a result, 137 arrests were made between July and December 2020. Of those, nine people have been jailed for a total of almost 23 years. Sentences ranged from six months for possessing class A drugs to five years and four months for supplying class A drugs.

The number represents a significant rise towards the end of last year. An investigation by the Stray Ferret last year revealed there had been 88 arrests since 2018, including 30 in the first nine months of 2020.

Detective Sergeant Tom Barker, who has worked on the Operation Expedite team for the past three years, said:

“As well as disrupting criminals, our work is also about protecting vulnerable people. We can’t do that alone and our close work with partner agencies is vital to getting them the help they need. From housing to help with a drug or alcohol addiction, it’s important that the people who need it are given help and those who exploit them are brought to justice.

“Information from members of the public is also key in helping to shape operational activity. So please don’t thing you are ever wasting our time by calling something in. Just because we don’t come tearing down the road with blue lights on, doesn’t mean we are not using your information.

“Drug supply investigations can take a long time, and the more evidence we have, the sooner we can act and take another dealer off the streets.”

County lines crime often sees vulnerable people, including children, exploited by criminals using violence and intimidation. They are known for ‘cuckooing’, the term used for taking over someone else’s home to deal drugs, and often give the person free drugs in order to create a ‘debt’ which can be used to the criminal’s advantage.

Officers on Operation Expedite say the number of arrests made last year shows that drug dealing is not welcome in the Harrogate district and will be dealt with strongly, even during lockdown.

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Superintendent Steve Thomas, Commander for the Harrogate, Craven, Richmondshire and Hambleton areas, added:

“I am incredibly proud of the work being done every day by Operation Expedite staff and their colleagues who support them across the district.  They have faced the risks of operational policing in a time of unprecedented challenges throughout the pandemic and continue to do so.

“However, this is not a time to rest on our laurels and I want to reassure the local residents across the district that we will be working even harder over the coming months to make Harrogate a very hostile environment for those who think it’s ok to make money exploiting vulnerable people and ruining lives.”

Cash and mobile phones have also been seized as part of the operation

Cash and mobile phones have also been seized as part of the operation

North Yorkshire Police is asking the public to remain vigilant for signs of drugs crime or exploitation. It said typical signs of trouble in young people could be an indication that someone is being exploited, such as going missing, having unexplained money, clothes or phones, or receiving high volumes of calls or messages.

Any change in emotional well-being, or spending time with new, older friends, could also be an indication that someone is being targeted.

Meanwhile, neighbours who notice an increase in visitors at a property, growth in anti-social behaviour, curtains being closed for long periods or unfamiliar vehicles coming and going could also be witnessing cuckooing.

To report suspicious activity, call North Yorkshire Police on 101 or, to report information anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Teen’s sentence for drug dealing reduced ‘in part due to covid in prisons’

A crack-cocaine dealer has been jailed for more than two years for peddling the potentially lethal drug in Harrogate.

Michael Balog, 19, was still on prison licence for previous offences when he was caught with what turned out to be a relatively small amount of the Class A drug in the town.

But prosecutor Lewis Allan Kerr told York Crown Court that the teenager had been street dealing, ostensibly to pay back a debt.

Recorder Tahir Khan QC, who jailed Balog for two years and four months, told him:

“We are talking about the supply at street level of Class A drugs.

“It’s general knowledge that Class A drugs, and the supply of them, cause misery and the courts have to take a hard line on people who involve themselves in this type of conduct, even at the level that you were at.”

York Crown Court

Appearing via video link yesterday, Balog, of Kennion Road, Harrogate, admitted possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply. He was caught with the drugs at Cheltenham Mount on October 2.

Jeremy Barton, for Balog, said the teenager had been using drugs himself after being released from his last prison sentence and started dealing to pay off debts. Although Balog had previous convictions, he had none for drug dealing.

Mr Khan QC told Balog:

“You’ve been in trouble before and (the dealing offence) was about six to seven months after you were released from your last (prison) sentence.”

Jailing Balog for 28 months, Mr Khan said he had reduced the sentence that he originally had in mind due to the “powerful” mitigation, the teenager’s timely guilty plea and the Covid crisis, which was prevalent in prisons.

Two men get jail sentences for selling heroin and crack cocaine in Valley Gardens

Two county lines drug dealers have received jail sentences for selling heroin and crack cocaine in Valley Gardens in Harrogate.

York Crown Court heard how Ethan Bodally and Ben Bland, from Leeds and both in their early twenties ,were caught by undercover police officers.

Sentenced at York Crown Court yesterday both men admitted two counts of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply.

Prosecutor James Howard said two plain-clothed police officers spotted the dealers on January 7 last year.

Mr Howard said the area was a “well-known” drug-dealing spot and the officers were first alerted by the “disparity of age between the defendants and suspected drug users”

Police found £85 on Bland which he had hidden in his sock. He was taken into custody and questioned, during which a member of the public rang police and told them that he had seen a man matching his description hiding “a bag in a bush”.

Police retrieved the bag and found heroin and crack cocaine amounting to over £1,000.

Bodally, 22, of Stanks Drive, Seacroft, had eight previous convictions and was currently serving a four-and-half year prison sentence for a previous offence of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs in Scarborough in 2017.

He was on bail for those offences, before they reached court, when he started supplying in Harrogate.

James Littlehales, for Bodally, said his client had been put under “extreme pressure” by drug bosses to meet a £5,000 debt which included a brutal attack that left him with a broken thigh bone.

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Judge Simon Hickey told the defendants:

“Anyone who deals in Class A drugs is potentially dealing out misery, death, degradation and huge economic damage.

“You mix yourself with dangerous drugs and dangerous people and dangerous consequences occur. You, Bodally, had your femur broken, (according to your barrister), and that explains why you found yourself dealing in Harrogate and that’s why you and your co-defendant came from Leeds.”

Jailing Bodally for two years, Mr Hickey said it was the “least sentence” he could impose. The 24-month prison term would mean an extra year on top of his existing sentence.

Bland, 21, of Poole Crescent, Cross Gates, Leeds was given a two-year suspended prison sentence and was ordered to carry out 200 hours’ unpaid work and complete a 19-session thinking-skills programme.

 

Harrogate county lines drug suspect arrested

A 19-year-old male from Harrogate appeared in court on Saturday less than 24 hours after being arrested on suspicion of possessing crack cocaine with intent to supply.

North Yorkshire Police’s Operation Expedite team, which tackles county lines drug crime, arrested the man on Cheltenham Mount, Harrogate on Friday morning.

Officers chased the male on foot after suspecting a drug deal was taking place.

A quantity of suspected crack cocaine was seized by officers.

The 19-year-old was charged with possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply and remanded in custody.

On Saturday morning, he appeared at York Magistrates’ Court (sitting in Leeds). The case has been sent for trial on November 9.

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The police said typical signs of cuckooing – drug dealers taking over a vulnerable person’s home to sell and store drugs – are:

Signs that a young person may be being exploited, include:

If anyone has any information, they can call North Yorkshire Police on 101. To remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Arrests after heroin and crack cocaine seized in Harrogate

A 20-year-old man and 16-year-old boy were arrested in Harrogate on Saturday after being found carrying large quantities of class A drugs.

North Yorkshire Police said the pair were seen acting suspiciously in the Library Gardens area of town.

Officers from the force’s Operation Expedite team, which tackles drug crime, stopped the males.

A large quantity of suspected heroin and crack cocaine was seized and the pair were arrested on suspicion of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.

The 20-year-old was later released on bail and the 16-year-old released while under investigation. The police said enquiries are continuing.

This arrest was part of North Yorkshire Police’s attempts to disrupt county lines drug dealing.

The drugs found on the pair were suspected class A drugs.

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County lines dealing is when dealers travel from outside the county to bring drugs into its towns. Vulnerable and young people are often forced to sell the drugs.

To report information of drug dealing in the area, call North Yorkshire Police on 101. To remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or contact them online here.

Crown court trial awaits man arrested for supplying heroin in Harrogate

A man has been sent for trial at crown court after being charged with supplying heroin and possessing criminal property in Harrogate.

Stopped on Montpellier Hill in the town centre yesterday afternoon, the 45-year-old was charged in the early hours of today and appeared at York Magistrates’ Court this morning.

He will be sent for trial on a date to be confirmed. As well as supplying heroin, he is charged with possession of cash suspected to have been obtained through drug dealing.

Meanwhile, three other men – two aged 45 and one aged 37 – were arrested on Montpellier Hill on Wednesday as part of North Yorkshire Police’s work on county lines drug dealing under Operation Expedite.

Officers also seized 30 wraps of suspected heroin, £600 cash and a number of mobile phones and scales in the region as part of the investigation. The three men have been released while investigations continue.

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Over 160 drug arrests in Harrogate district so far this year

A total of 166 drug arrests were made in the Harrogate district between January and July this year.  North Yorkshire police said it is committed to continue its drive to tackle the issues caused by county lines drugs.

The arrests include all drug offences, other than drug driving. Across the whole of North Yorkshire there were 808 arrests and the Harrogate district ranked the third highest area for arrests.

County lines is a serious issue for the police in Harrogate – which now has one of three dedicated teams in the county.

This form of organised crime sees drug dealers from more urban areas exploit vulnerable people, including children, and force them to deal drugs in smaller towns and cities.

Acting Superintendent Andrew Colbourne of Harrogate, said:

“The exploitation of young people and vulnerable adults, and the levels of violence associated with county lines makes it a foremost priority for North Yorkshire Police and its partners.

“Proactive policing also plays a big part in the number of drug arrests. We have dedicated teams across North Yorkshire Police – including Harrogate –  that target the supply of drugs and work alongside partners to protect vulnerable people on a daily basis. Information from members of the public is also vital.

North Yorkshire Police headquarters entrance

The Stray Ferret has previously reported on police raids in an attempt to combat drug crime. In March we reported on parent’s concerns about how easy it was for their children to get access to drugs.  

Superintendent Colbourne, added:

“Enforcement activity has not stopped as a result of the coronavirus pandemic – indeed, over the last few months, we have executed a number of warrants to tackle suspected drugs offences.”

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The police said the public can offer vital information that results in arrests. Any suspicions involving exploitation or drug dealing should be reported to the police or Crimestoppers.

Trainee accountant jailed for Harrogate drug deals

A trainee accountant has been jailed for dealing cocaine and an ecstasy-type drug in Harrogate.

Armaan Ahmad, 24, was arrested after his Audi A3 was stopped by police in April last year, York Crown Court heard.

Officers found 26 wraps of cocaine inside the car, along with six bags of MDMA in powder form, said prosecutor Rob Galley. They also seized £340 from his wallet and a mobile phone with incriminating text messages. Mr Galley added:

“(The messages) clearly show that this defendant was being directed to go to various post codes and addresses or directed to deal (drugs) to certain people.”

They showed that Ahmad’s drugs boss had ordered him to “count what was left” of the drugs and relay the amounts back to him using abbreviations and codes such as ‘P’ for ‘premium’ cocaine, “rather than standard cocaine”, said the prosecutor.

Armaan Ahmad has been sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment for dealing drugs in Harrogate

During the phone conversations, they also discussed his “wage” which on the day in question – April 18 – was £100 to deal “party drugs” in Harrogate and Leeds.

Ahmad – whose father runs a highly successful accountancy firm – sold £780 worth of drugs on that day, although he claimed he had only been dealing for two days. Mr Galley said:

“He had to hand matters over to somebody at a mosque in Leeds at the end of the day.”

‘Significant’ role

Ahmad had played a “significant” role as a drug runner or courier, added Mr Galley. The value of the cocaine seized from his car was about £380 but could have been worth a lot more if dealt on the street.

Ahmad, from Leeds, was said to have been very open with police and owned up straight away. He was charged with two counts of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply and admitted both charges.

He appeared for sentence on Thursday in an immaculate dark-blue suit and tie, but knowing that jail was all but certain.

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Defence barrister Andrew Dallas described his well-spoken client as a “naïve” young man who had come under the spell of others higher up the supply chain. He said:

“He was misled, not realising what he was getting into.

“He’s from an excellent background and his father… is a successful accountant.”

Ahmad had passed his exams at school and found work straight away, but then lost his job after a contract expired and “couldn’t get other work”, said Mr Dallas.

He said this led Ahmad into debt after he took out a pay-day loan. A friend told him he could make “easy money” by drug-dealing and he fell into “temptation”.

‘Working under direction’

Ahmad, of Church Lane, Adel, began driving around the streets at night in “very risky and serious situations, working absolutely under direction and he had to provide a prices account and face (pay) deductions if anything went wrong”, added Mr Dallas.

“He realised he’d got himself into something bad.”

Since his arrest, Ahmad had had a rapprochement with his father, moved back into the family home and started working full-time for his father’s business as a trainee accountant. Mr Dallas said:

“He’s looking to enrol in exams so that he can follow his father into the profession. He’s quite clearly intelligent in some ways and astonishingly naïve in others.”

Judge Sean Morris told Ahmad:

“People are mugging people in the streets for drugs, robbing their own grannies for drugs, and they have to get them from somebody, and (in this case) they were getting them from you.

“This was proper drug-dealing – fortunately nipped in the bud. You did it calmly and coolly and you took part in this filthy trade.”

Jailing Ahmad for 20 months, the judge said he was “ordinarily a decent young man”. He added:

“It beggars belief that you got into this (sort of crime) and I know that the shame you have brought upon your family you will feel acutely.”

Ahmad will serve half of the sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence.

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