Police find chocolate tub filled with £21k worth of Spice

POLICE OFFICERS found a tub of chocolates filled with £21k worth of Spice.

West Midlands Police made the find as part of a week-long sting against county lines dealers across the region.

Officers raided a number of premises during the blitz. And they were often suburban homes that they suspected of being used to supply cocaine, heroin and cannabis across the West Midlands, including Coventry.

As a result they seized more than £235,000 worth of drugs, and arrested 66 people suspected of being involved in running drugs lines. They also recovered 42 weapons, including a sawn-off shotgun, a Taser and an imitation firearm.

Dozens of mobile phones, believed to be used as hotlines to move drugs into shire counties and smaller towns, were also found as part of what was a national operation.

As well as stopping those behind the ‘drugs lines,’ the teams were also tasked with helping children and vulnerable people who gangs exploit to traffic drugs.

They managed to ‘safeguard’ 124 young people, of which 77 per cent were under 18. To help stop more youngsters being lured into helping drugs gangs, officers carried out leaflet drops explaining what the signs are for someone being exploited, and coerced into getting involved.

They also launched the Children’s Society’s latest Look Closer campaign, which aims to raise awareness of child exploitation and abuse with a focus on public spaces.

Det Supt Syed Hussain, the force’s lead for county lines, said: “We want our youngsters to understand that despite the apparent lure of cash, ‘friendships’ and status there are also hard realities of violence, cruelty, exploitation and ultimately the risk of spending time behind bars.

“So it is heartening to hear that after inputs in schools, youngsters came away with a greater understanding of the perils of county lines. Among comments from some of the teenagers was ‘exploitation can happen anytime even those we think are strong’ while another said ‘child labour, drug trafficking and dominant relationships are signs of modern slavery.’

“All of which is sadly true, but it is important everyone and especially our youngsters understand just how ruthless these gangs can be.”