‘County lines’ drugs cops swoop at station
POLICE swooped to make two arrests at Manchester Piccadilly railway station as part of an operation to combat so-called ‘county lines’ drug dealing.
Cocaine was seized during both arrests.
British Transport Police said a 20-year-old man was arrested at the station on September 19 after a drugs dog alerted officers.
He was found to be in possession of eight bags of cocaine and held on suspicion of possession with intent to supply drugs.
BTP said he was released after questioning pending further investigation.
An 18-year-old was also arrested at Manchester Piccadilly on suspicion of possession of cocaine, the force added.
A haul of drugs and knives were taken off the railway under the operation, BTP said.
A series of arrests and drug seizures were made across the north.
‘County lines’ is where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, often across police and local authority boundaries and usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs.
Arrests were made in Preston, Sheffield, Leeds and Lancaster.
BTP said a new taskforce aimed to tackle drugs on the railway network, and protect children and vulnerable adults.
Detective Superintendent Gareth Williams said: “Our experience has proven that gangs who use the railway network rely on younger people to move drugs.
“These individuals are victims, forced through exploitation or intimidation into desperate situations, and it’s always our priority to make support available that can get them out of harm and away from crime.
“Since December we’ve been carrying out operations daily, always based on developing intelligence that shows where gangs are operating.
“We get part of our information through working in partnership with other law enforcement agencies, but also importantly through the support of the rail industry who train their staff to spot signs of exploitation.”