More than 20 arrests made in Swindon during County Lines drug raids

Wiltshire Police have made more than twenty arrests during a series of raids across Swindon aimed a cracking down on County Lines drug gangs.

That's where gangs from big cities expand their operations to smaller towns, often using violence to drive out local dealers and exploiting children and vulnerable people to sell drugs.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) says Swindon is the most vulnerable town in the country to the problem.

A total of eight arrests were made on Tuesday October 8 on suspicion of supplying crack and heroin.

On Monday, a further eleven arrests were made at various locations. Nine of them were made on suspicion of drug dealing.

More than 50 officers executed ten drug warrants across the town on Monday.

More have been carried out since, with further arrests being made, taking the total to 22.

Police say there are some common signs to look out for which could indicate that a person is involved in County Lines and possible drug dealing:

• Change in mood and/or demeanour (e.g. secretive/ withdrawn/ aggressive/ emotional)

• Substance misuse and/or drug paraphernalia

• Changes in the way they dress

• Unexplained, sometimes unaffordable new things (e.g clothes, jewellery, cars etc)

• Young people going missing, maybe for long periods of time

• Young people seen in different cars/taxis driven by unknown adults

• Young people seeming unfamiliar with your community or where they are

• Truancy, exclusion, disengagement from school

• An increase in anti-social behaviour in the community

• Unexplained injuries