Three men arrested in Wolverhampton as police probe drugs networks
Police have arrested three men on suspicion of being part of networks supplying heroin and crack cocaine to towns across the Midlands.
West Midlands Police officers raided a property in Skidmore Avenue, in the Bradmore area of Wolverhampton, on Thursday night where they arrested a 28-year-old man.
A quantity of what is believed to be Class A drugs, hundreds of pounds in cash and drugs paraphernalia, including weighing scales, were recovered.
In a separate move men aged 22 and 46, both from Wolverhampton, were arrested from a car in Barnhurst Lane, Pendeford, at 11.30am on Thursday suspected of acting as runners supplying drugs into parts of Staffordshire.
The older man was also arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence of drugs.
Police said the arrests are linked to what is known as 'County Lines' networks – organised criminals who run drugs operations from large cities feeding smaller dealers in more rural, outlying towns and villages.
Wolverhampton Neighbourhood Police Inspector Steve Perry, said: “Our operation is aimed not only at getting the leaders of these networks but also to identify and safeguard vulnerable people, often children, who are being used to transfer drugs.
“County Lines groups often utilise teenagers to deliver drugs − children who may have been exploited, threatened or groomed − while adult drug users and vulnerable women are also exploited for their properties or to assist with dealing within the county market.
“As well as these arrests we have also been targeting arterial routes out of Wolverhampton that could be used to transport drugs to outlying towns and villages."
All three men have been released under investigation to allow time for further enquiries and forensic analysis on the substances seized.
