£300,000 worth of drugs made to look like sweets seized in Wakefield

£300,000 worth of drugs made to look like sweets were seized in Wakefield by West Yorkshire Police in a week-long operation targeting County Lines crime.

The drugs, made to look like sweets and packaged in colourful packets, were expected to be distributed to areas across the country. 

Knives, axes, batons, a crossbow, cash and other drugs were also found - including £2,000 of cannabis, nearly £10,000 of crack cocaine and over £6,750 of heroin.

Nineteen mobile phones used by dealers to arrange the supply of drugs were also seized as well as designer clothing, high-value electric bikes and scooters and nearly £130,000 in cash. 

Nine arrests have since been made.

Detective Supt Fiona Gaffney, head of Serious and Organised Crime at West Yorkshire Police, said County Lines has a 'significant' impact on communities.

She said: "It’s linked to violence and the exploitation of many vulnerable people. Our aim is to disrupt these activities and to reassure people in our county that we won’t tolerate county lines criminality anywhere in West Yorkshire.”

What is County Lines?

County Lines crime involves the moving of illegal drugs from one area to another, often across police and local authority boundaries.

It is usually carried out by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs. 

The 'County Line' is the mobile phone line used to take the orders of drugs.