Lancashire and Merseyside police unite in Fylde coast drugs crackdown
Lancashire and Merseyside Police have teamed up to tackle drug dealing and county lines crime with 40 people arrested in the last week.
More than 30 officers have been working to identify and interrupt drug supply chains on the Fylde coast with dozens arrested for offences including possession with intent to supply, possession of weapons, drug driving and money laundering.
As part of the operation, officers in plain clothes were helped out by road police units who target the road networks.
Vulnerable people being exploited by organised drug gangs were also discovered and are receiving help and support.
Results in the crackdown include:
A 20-year-old man arrested for money laundering after his passenger ran from a vehicle after it was requested to stop.
On leaving the car the passenger dropped a bag containing more than £10,000; A 54-year-old man from Blackpool arrested for Possession with intent to supply Class B drugs after his car was stopped and he was found to have numerous parcels containing cannabis ready to be delivered to people in Blackpool.
The drugs are valued in excess of £7,000; Two men in their early 20’s from Leeds and Manchester were arrested in the Grange Park area after they were identified as being runners for a County Lines group in Leeds.
A 62-year-old man from Fleetwood was arrested after officers located nearly ½ kg of Amphetamine hidden in his vehicle.
Detective Inspector Kathryn Riley, co-ordinating the deployment from Project Adder, said: “We want to hit criminals hard but also make sure young and vulnerable people who have been criminally exploited are treated sensitively and with understanding.
"Working cross border with other police forces is key in disrupting and dismantling county lines and putting offenders behind bars.
"We are sending out a strong message this criminality activity will not be tolerated, and we will continue to work together with our partners and regional forces to disrupt anyone involved in county lines and bring them to justice.
"County lines gangs and organised criminal networks are involved in exporting illegal drugs, using dedicated mobile phone lines or another form of ‘deal line’.
"The gang activity is highly associated with violence, drug dealing and exploitation, having a devastating impact on young people, vulnerable adults, and local communities.
“Gangs will use children, and vulnerable people, to move drugs and money, criminally exploiting them; they will also seek to establish a base in target locations, typically taking over the homes of local vulnerable adults by force or coercion – this is referred to as ‘cuckooing’.
“We need intelligence coming from our communities to alert us to potential drugs activity so we can investigate and bring organised gangs to justice, as well as safeguarding people, particularly children, who have been exploited and are victims.”
Project Adder aims to focus on drug gangs targeting others and vulnerable people.
Inspector Stephen Morris, from Merseyside Police, believes this collaborative operation with Lancashire demonstrates what joining forces can achieve.
He said: “Project Medusa is Merseyside’s dedicated operation to tackle county lines drug dealing and the criminal exploitation of young people and vulnerable adults.
"Criminals running their county lines operations don’t care about borders, as shown by the arrests made for nominals from Leeds and Manchester.“
"We are committed to working across borders to relentlessly pursue those involved in the supply of drugs and criminal exploitation. I would ask anyone who has information about this kind of activity to come forward so action can be taken."