200 seized in force’s blitz on county lines drug mules menace
ONE of Britain’s smallest police forces has made 200 “county lines” drug arrests in under two years after a crackdown on dealers, it was revealed yesterday.
Gloucestershire Police has seen 70 drug dealers and gangsters jailed for a total of 211 years thanks to the investigative operation.
“County lines” gangs set up drug dealing operations far from their usual patches, often in rural areas a long way from their city bases.
Using vulnerable teenagers as couriers, the operations are managed with mobile phones.
Gloucestershire Police launched Operation Tarak in November 2016 to tackle the “county lines” menace.
It said: “These dealers want to establish an operational base in counties such as Gloucestershire.
“They use runners or mules to bring drugs into the county while they manage the operation from afar.
“The runners are often vulnerable juveniles who have been recruited with lavish gifts, including cash, phones, drugs and branded clothing. Once recruited, it’s very difficult for runners to escape the grip of these gangs.
“Gloucestershire Constabulary made the issue one of its force priorities and has been determined not to be seen as a soft touch for these dealers.
“Due to the hard work and determination of our teams, we investigated, arrested and charged numerous people.
“By November 2017 more than 100 years of prison sentences had been issued to those caught and convicted of these crimes.
Exploitation
“Now, just nine months later, we have passed the 200-year landmark.
“This kind of conviction rate sends a message to dealers running drug empires.
“Gloucestershire Constabulary will not give up the fight against those who want to sell Class A drugs in our towns and cities.
“Our investigators have found that dealers regularly research Gloucestershire to find out who has been caught, convicted and imprisoned for county lines drugs offences.
“They are sussing out the area in the hope of mitigating their risk.”
Gloucestershire Police has 2,000 staff serving a population of 560,000.
The force added: “Besides investigating the criminality around these county line drug offences we have been aware of the exploitation of vulnerable people that comes with it.
“The gang leaders control juveniles and adults who may be addicted to drugs, have no safe and secure parental controls, or perhaps have mental health issues.
“They are easy prey for gang leaders to coerce and exploit.
“The leaders receive all of the benefits of the crime but take none of the risks.”
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Smith said: “We regularly travel across the UK to hunt dealers and identify those recruiting young, vulnerable children to sell drugs.
“The dealers feel they are invisible as they live hundreds of miles away. Newsflash – they are not.” THE mother of a teenage girl who died at a music festival has launched a petition to improve drug safety and awareness at such events.
Georgia Jones, 18, was said to have suffered 45 minutes of fits and a soaring temperature after taking two pills.
Now her grieving mother Janine Milburn is calling on the Government to introduce “Georgia’s Law”, requiring all festivals to introduce a raft of new measures and messages.
These would include stricter security, mandatory testing and better education on the dangers of taking drugs.
Ms Milburn hopes her petition will gain the 10,000 signatures needed to obtain a response from the Government.
Georgia, described as “full of life”, was one of two young people who died while attending the Mutiny Festival in Portsmouth in May.
Ms Milburn, 41, has also started a Facebook page warning of the risks of drugs.
She explained: “I am trying to change how things are and raise awareness.
“We need to make things safer as a society.”
Tommy Cowan, 20, also died in hospital after attending Mutiny, leading to the event’s final day being cancelled.