Two teenage girls arrested in County Lines operation
Warrants executed in Loughborough and Mountsorrel
SEVEN people, including two teenage girl, have been arrested in the Charnwood area as part of a planned police operation targeting the sale and distribution of drugs.
As part of Operation Hammerman police have been cracking down on County Lines activity and safeguarding vulnerable people being targeted by organised crime groups to help facilitate the supply of class A drugs.
Between Saturday, June 13 and Friday, June 19, police executed three warrants in Loughborough and Mountsorrel and arrested seven people - five men, aged 20, 21, 25, 26 and 42 and two teenage girls, aged 15 and 16.
Six were arrested for being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.
The 20-year-old man was arrested for possession with intent to supply class B drugs.
Six of the suspects have since been released under investigation pending further enquires. The 21-year-old man was remanded to appear at court for offences unrelated to the operation.
The arrests come after officers spent a significant amount of time gathering information and evidence on people suspected of moving drugs in and out of Leicestershire – known as County Lines.
With the support of a number of partners, including Charnwood Borough Council, officers also carried out safeguarding checks on vulnerable adults in the community believed to be at risk of ‘cuckooing’.
‘Cuckooing’ is when a drug dealer or gang use violence or the threat of violence to take over the home of a vulnerable person, they then use the property as a base for drug related activity.
Officers carrying out the operation are keen for people not only in Charnwood but across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland to continue to report any County Lines activity they suspect is happening in their area.
Sergeant Chris Boylin, from the Loughborough neighbourhood priority team was leading the operation. He said: “The community is a big part of where we get our information from so we urge people to continue to tell us when they are seeing things that are out of the ordinary.
“The selling and distribution of drugs on our streets ruins lives and we will continue to take action against those who are responsible and prey on vulnerable members of our community.”
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, or report information on the police website .
For more information on County Lines, and how to spot the signs of it happening in your area, visit www.leics.police.uk/ countylines