Crackdown on county lines drugs gangs in Hampshire results in 43 arrests

A CRACKDOWN by Hampshire police on county lines drug gangs resulted in 43 arrests in one week and £50,000 in cash seized.

The operations also took hold of 63 mobile phones, five knives, six air weapons and a large quantity of drugs.

The national county lines "intensification week" was aimed at city-based criminal gangs who set up drug-dealing operations in smaller towns, often using vulnerable adults and children.

Hampshire police and crime commissioner Donna Jones praised local officers for the results which included the seizure of 269 wraps of cocaine and 265 packages of heroin, plus other other drugs.

Mrs Jones said: “We all know the misery that drugs can cause, but the criminal exploitation of children and vulnerable adults, as well as increasing use of violence, that is an inherent part of county lines makes it especially damaging.

“I am pleased that along with the arrests and seizures, a number of individuals have been safeguarded as a result of the police action and that the welfare of those who are vulnerable to exploitation has been a priority alongside enforcement.”