Police make 137 arrests in connection with County Lines drug dealing across Harrogate

County Lines is a form of organised crime in which drug dealers from usually urban areas exploit their victims forcing them to deal drugs in smaller towns and cities. It takes its name from the mobile phones used by dealers to communicate between towns, take orders and conduct their "business".

Of the 137 people arrested between July and December 2020, nine have already been jailed for a total of almost 23 years, with individual sentences ranging from five years and four months for supplying class A drugs to six months for possessing class A drugs.

The crackdown is part of North Yorkshire Police's Operation Expedite which see officers carry out proactive patrols, on foot, in vehicles, in uniform, or plain clothes, constantly keeping a look out for suspicious activity and known suspects.

Detective Sergeant Tom Barker, who has worked on the Operation Expedite team for the past three years, said: "Drug dealing and the exploitation it brings remains a key priority for North Yorkshire Police and these arrest figures help to demonstrate this.

“As well as disrupting criminals, our work is also about protecting vulnerable people. We can’t do that alone and our close work with partner agencies is vital to getting them the help they need. From housing to help with a drug or alcohol addiction, it’s important that the people who need it are given help and those who exploit them are brought to justice.

“Information from members of the public is also key in helping to shape operational activity. So please don’t think you are ever wasting our time by calling something in. Just because we don’t come tearing down the road with blue lights on, doesn’t mean we are not using your information.

“Drug supply investigations can take a long time, and the more evidence we have, the sooner we can act and take another dealer off the streets.”

Checking on the safety and welfare of vulnerable people known to have been exploited and ‘cuckooed’ by drug dealers is also a key part of the team’s regular routine.

Cuckooing is the term used when drug dealers take over the home of someone – usually vulnerable and often a drug user themselves – to store and sell their drugs. They often use violence and intimidation to threaten the householder into letting them stay. They will sometimes give them free drugs, resulting in the householder owing them a ‘debt’.

Superintendent Steve Thomas, Commander for the Harrogate, Craven, Richmondshire and Hambleton areas, said the team will continue to disrupt criminal activity.

He said: "This is not a time to rest on our laurels and I want to reassure the local residents across the district that we will be working even harder over the coming months to make Harrogate a very hostile environment for those who think it’s OK to make money exploiting vulnerable people and ruining lives.”