Arrests as part of week-long county lines crackdown

Eighteen people have been arrested as part of a huge crackdown on county lines activity in Lincolnshire.

They were charged with more than 60 offences during a week of action which saw a dozen county lines closed.

Around £10,000 in cash was seized as well as roughly £16,000 worth of drugs between Monday, 25 November and Sunday, 1 December.

Weapons, including an air rifle and a number of knives, were also confiscated in addition to various electronic devices.

County lines is the name given to drug dealing where organised criminal groups (OCGs) use phone lines to move and supply drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.

The arrests and charges are the culmination of a joint effort involving strong collaboration with partners such as the MET and British Transport Police to name just two.

The large-scale operation took place alongside other forces, who carried out similar work in their areas across England and Wales over the course of the week.

Detective Superintendent Amy Whiffen paid tribute to the hard work and commitment of those involved and says it sends a strong statement to crime groups operating in Lincolnshire.

The force’s director of intelligence said: “It’s vitally important our response to this criminality is joined up across the whole system – the work carried out highlights the need to work collectively to share information, collaborate and respond effectively to protect communities and bring offenders to justice.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who contributed and were involved in this recent activity, which demonstrates how when working effectively together we deliver the response the people of Lincolnshire deserve.”

Criminals exploit vulnerable people, including children and those with mental health or addiction issues, by recruiting them to distribute the drugs.

This is often referred to as ‘drug running’.

Criminals may also use a vulnerable person’s home as their base of operations. This is known as ‘cuckooing’.

Signs to look out for 

There are several signs to look out for that may indicate someone is involved in county lines:

• repeatedly going missing from school or home and being found in other areas
• having money, new clothes or electronic devices and they can’t explain how they paid for them
• getting high numbers of texts or phone calls, being secretive about who they’re speaking to
• decline in school or work performance
• significant changes in emotional or physical well-being

Social media

Criminal networks use social media to groom and recruit children for county lines. They may send them direct messages (knowns as ‘DMs’), or share messages to wider groups as ‘stories’ or ‘posts’.

Ways OCGs use social media

• advertising drugs through photos, emojis, and price lists
• posting statuses that show money, new drugs or when a dealer is open for business
• dealers sharing ‘stories’ to followers, and using social platforms to expand their network with ‘suggested’ friends
• tricking people with ‘fast cash’ scams, which is often referred to as ‘squares’. Victims may end up working for no little or no money, which is known as ‘debt bondage’
• advertising for ‘workers’ or ‘runners’ to recruit people into county lines activity
• using hashtags linked to drugs
• using emojis as code for drug, violence and sexual activities, eg the snowflake emoji (for buying cocaine), 8-ball emoji (for buying an eighth of an ounce) or the rocket emoji (for purity of drugs)

Cuckooing

OCGs often use high levels of violence and intimidation to protect the ‘county line’ and control them. One of these forms of control exploits vulnerable people by using their home as a base for dealing drugs, a process known as cuckooing. Dealers often convince the vulnerable person to let their home be used for drug dealing by giving them free drugs or offering to pay for food or utilities.

Often OCGs target people who are lonely, isolated, or have addiction issues. It’s common for OCGs to use a property for a short amount of time, moving address frequently to reduce the chance of being caught.