£6 million cannabis haul found by 'county lines' police at property in Manchester

Police have found £6.1 million worth a cannabis as part of an operation to crack county lines gangs using the railway network.Officers targeted key railway stations and intelligence led them to the haul, totalling a quarter of a ton of cannabis at a property in Manchester.

The multi-agency operation dubbed Operation Blume was led by the British Transport Police (BTP) specialist County Lines task force supported by Greater Manchester Police and specially-trained dogs from the City of London Police, plus other experts like social workers and immigration services.Nine people were arrested, 45 stop searches were conducted over the two days and three addresses were searched in Manchester, Rochdale and West Mercia.A knife and £30,000 in cash were also seized, while two children were identified and referred to safeguarding services after officers made vital interventions on the rail network.One adult was also safeguarded at a property in the Manchester area which was being used as a "cuckoo" address - where the gang has coerced the occupier into allowing them to use it for crime.Two men in their 50s from Manchester and North Lanarkshire in Scotland, were arrested for alleged supply of Class B drugs and a 17-year-old from the West Mercia area was also charged with possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine and possession of criminal property.

Det Supt Craig Payne from BTP’s County Lines Taskforce said: "This was a hugely successful operation which once again demonstrates the effectiveness of our specialist County Lines taskforce is dismantling and disrupting criminal networks and protecting young and vulnerable people from harm. "Our dedicated team works across the whole rail network every day tackling this exploitative activity and is pivotal in intercepting the supply of drugs and making safeguarding interventions to protect vulnerable people from ruthless gangs."County Lines is a term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs into one or more importing areas within the UK, using dedicated mobile phone lines or other form of "deal line".

Children, young people and the vulnerable are commonly targeted, exploiting them into trafficking drugs, money, and weapons.

These victims then become trapped in a cycle of fear with gangs often using promises of wealth and gifts to draw vulnerable people in, then use violence or threats to control and manipulate them.Det Supt Payne added: "Robust operations like this take place across the rail network every day to disrupt County Lines. Sometimes you’ll spot us, sometimes you won’t."Our mission remains to dismantle and disrupt criminal enterprises and to identify and safeguard those who are being exploited and relentlessly pursue those who have targeted them. "We will not waver in our determination to stop the exploitation and associated harm caused by county lines gangs, making our communities and railways safer."

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