Crack cocaine violence soaring as drug dealers spread their evil
VIOLENT drug dealers are now running lucrative networks from rural bases in the latest crime “phenomenon”, one of Britain’s top police officers revealed yesterday.
County lines groups traditionally export large amounts of crack cocaine and heroin to smaller towns, villages and seaside resorts from major cities.
But the networks are spreading so fast drug dealers – who often resort to extreme levels of violence to take control of the local markets – are setting up outside of cities like London and Birmingham and targeting small towns hundreds of miles away.
The Daily Express yesterday told how there are now 1,500 active lines across the UK – worth £500million.
Police chiefs were told much purer crack cocaine is being sold on Britain’s streets and this is fuelling a large part of the violence.
In 2013 the drug’s purity was on average 36 per cent. This soared to 71 per cent last year and health bosses yesterday warned soaring numbers of people are addicted to the drug and are seeking treatment.
Nick Hunt, head of the Serious Violence Unit at the Home Office, told the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and National Police Chiefs’ Council summit that this had led to more county lines gangs and “evidence suggests this would drive up violence”.
Assistant Chief Constable Jacqueline Sebire, who leads the NPCC’s Serious Violent Crime, said: “It is happening across all forces. There needs to be a focus on what is happening in the smaller forces.
“The Met exports county lines. We need to deal with it there because they are exporting it from London.
“But it is also impacting on county forces. Some of the county forces are now also exporting, which is quite a new phenomenon.”
One of the main drugs county lines gangs sell is crack cocaine. And a shocking Public Health England report has revealed the number of people being treated for crack cocaine addiction soared by 44 per cent in just two years.
The number of people needing treatment reached 4,301 in 2017/18 – up from 3,657 in 2016/17. That rise of 18 per cent came after 2,980 needed help in 2015/16.
Eytan Alexander, founder of rehabilitation clinic firm UKAT, said: “What we’re seeing is that more and more people are entering treatment for crack cocaine because of it’s low price tag and ease of access to the drug. People can order crack with one click of their phone.
Craving
“It’s extremely potent and addictive, and we’ve no doubt that it will overtake our admissions for heroin and alcohol addiction in the near future.
“More and more youngsters are taking cocaine and associating it with a good night out.
“Our concern is for when those youngsters grow up, aren’t going out as much, but are craving that high.
“There’s a strong chance they will turn to crack cocaine instead, given the massive reduction in price and higher levels of purity.
“Treatment centres are overstretched and under-funded. Today’s report shows that as a society, we need to accept better responsibility to helping those most vulnerable in society.”
Drugs gangs are able to exploit gaps in England’s 43 police forces, with five of the worst hit areas were without a joined-up response.