Arrests made in Norfolk during week of county lines crackdown

Drug dealing supply routes into Norfolk were disrupted by police and arrests were made as officers targeted county lines in a national week of action.

Norfolk Police officers arrested seven people and closed down three supply routes into the county during a National Intensification Week at the beginning of the month.

Jointly run by the National Police Chief’s Council and the National Crime Agency, the action was on disrupting the activities of those involved in county lines through a number of policing tactics.

Detective Inspector Robin Windsor-Waite, county lines lead for Norfolk Constabulary, said: “The closure of three county lines and seven arrests during our week of action is a significant success for Norfolk.

“It demonstrates the strength of partnership work in tackling the supply of drugs and the exploitative actions that surround this type of crime.

“Whilst our enforcement against those who supply drugs and exploit our most vulnerable will be unrelenting, the partnership approach to safeguarding and identifying areas for preventative work is critical in reducing the demand in this county, and this intensification week has been a step forward in that joined up approach.”

County lines is the name given to this form of drug dealing where criminals use phone lines to facilitate the supply of Class A drugs, normally between a major city and another county.

The line holder also often exploits young people and children to move the drugs between counties or coerce vulnerable adults by taking over their addresses from where they deal drugs – this is known as cuckooing.