Major action on County Lines drug dealers targets Walsall, Sandwell, Wolverhampton and Dudley

Raids started at 2am this morning (Wednesday, March 19) with more than 200 officers involved and are ongoing, with arrests, phones used to run drugs lines seized and  cash recovered already as part of Operation Advance.

Officers have also been working with youngsters in Walsall and carrying out extra patrols to protect vulnerable people. 

County Lines sees organised criminal groups use dedicated phone numbers to move and supply drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.  

Specialist firearms and  gangs officers, dogs capable of seeking out drugs and digital devices have all been in action, supported by a drone unit and digital forensics experts who can quickly analyse devices for evidence of crime. 

In Dudley, officers carried out a sweep for weapons and took action against several people suspected of being involved in an emerging gang. They also visited a college to educate student and listen to their concerns.

Three properties were raided in Sandwell and police carrying out targeted patrols around drugs hotspots, as well weapons sweeps. Four people have been arrested on suspicion of offences such as modern day slavery and immigration.

Wolverhampton saw raids on a drugs line operating out of the city, with two addresses and a vehicle being searched and in Walsall addresses of known gang members are being visited, a day after Class A and B drugs were seized from an address in Bloxwich.

Officers also spoke to youngsters in schools and residential homes about County Lines and how they can get help if they or a friend are being drawn into it, as well as teachers about how they can support students.

Two people were arrested in the Lozells area of Birmingham in an armed policing operation which targeted people suspected of being wholesalers of cannabis to County Lines dealers.  More than £20,000 in cash was seized.

They also carried out a warrant being carried out a cannabis farm in the Holbrooks area of Coventry with two people arrested and more than 100 plant seized. And in Solihull they used a knife arch, spoke to school pupils and carried out arrest attempts for people linked to County Lines and exploitation.  

Detective Inspector Mark Robinson, from West Midlands Police's County Lines Task Force, said: “County Lines drug dealers bring misery, violence and exploitation to countless people – from the young people they exploit and groom into a dangerous world of carrying drugs, to the drug users they supply to. 

"Today is about sending a message to those involved that we will tirelessly pursue them, arrest them and bring them to justice. 

"At the same time, we are committed to stopping people being drawn in to County Lines in the first place by protecting children and vulnerable.”