32 arrested in 48 hours in County Lines crackdown
North Yorkshire Police work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 365 days a year to keep people in York and North Yorkshire safe and feeling safe.
And for the vast majority of the time their work will go un noticed, unless it has a direct impact on you.
Recently North Yorkshire Police arrested 32 people within 48 hours as part of a national operation to disrupt county lines drug dealing and safeguard vulnerable people.
This news story from the BBC Look North explains more about their fantastic work.
BBC Look North
News from North Yorkshire Police
Two-day operation sees over 30 arrests in county lines crackdown
(DCI Carol Kirk )
North Yorkshire Police has collaborated with Merseyside Police on a national “Project Medusa” operation to disrupt county lines drug dealing and safeguard vulnerable people.
The targeted operation focused on York on Wednesday 10 January and Selby on Thursday 11 January. In total 32 people were arrested, and a large quantity of Class A and B drugs were seized as well as several vehicles and dangerous weapons. Three of the 32 that were arrested were wanted on warrant.
(Weapons seized as part of the operation)
Over 100 police officers and staff from both North Yorkshire Police and Merseyside Police worked on the two-day operation from a variety of departments which include intelligence teams, proactive disruption, police dogs and drones as well as local policing and specialist roads policing officers. Officers from the British Transport Police also supported the operation with high visibility and plain clothed patrols at transport hubs.
( North Yorkshire Police and Merseyside Police stop a vehicle in York)
Warrants were executed at various addresses and increased plain clothed and uniformed patrols were used to intercept drug deals on the streets. A specialist strike team used intelligence-led Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to intercept vehicles on the road network which are linked to drugs. The York Rescue Boat also supported the operation by providing additional river safety patrols on the River Ouse.
(Merseyside Police stop a vehicle that is linked to the supply of drugs)
Several proactive safeguarding and welfare checks were conducted on people who are known or suspected as being vulnerable to county lines exploitation.
Project Medusa, funded by the Home Office, is a Merseyside Police initiative to tackle county lines drug dealing and the criminal exploitation of young people and vulnerable adults. Since 2019, Merseyside’s Project Medusa officers – who are recognised nationally as a leading force in tackling county lines – have closed more than 1,100 county lines; arrested more than 2,400 people for offences including drug supply, firearms and money laundering; and identified 1,250 children and vulnerable adults who have been referred to safeguarding services. North Yorkshire Police secured additional funding and used its specialist teams to drive the initiative to ensure that it’s communities in York and Selby remain hostile places for any would-be criminals to operate in.
From the two days in North Yorkshire highlights include:
York Officers identified a man and a woman on Kingsway in York who are linked to drugs supply. Officers stopped the pair and found a quantity of what is suspected to be a class- A drug . A 37-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a class-A drug. She was interviewed and released under investigation. A 43-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a class-A drug, possession of a class- A and class-C drug and possession of a weapon and theft. He was interviewed and released under investigation. Officers searched the home address of the 42-year-old man and a 24-year-old man at the address was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a class-A drug. He was interviewed and released on conditional bail which prevents him from entering North Yorkshire. NYP ref 12240005516.
Selby A warrant was executed at an address on in Brotherton near Selby. Numerous items which are linked to the supply of drugs were located. A 44-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a Class- A drug, possession of criminal property and an offensive weapon as well as criminal damage. He was interviewed and released under investigation. A 33-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a Class-A drug, possession of criminal property and an offensive weapon. She was also released under investigation. NYP ref 12240006116.
Selby Plain clothed officers in Selby sighted a man who was discarding an object in a canal. A specialist police dog and a police underwater search unit searched the area and recovered a weapon which is believed to be used in crime. A 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm. A 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm and possession with intent to supply a class-B drug. They both currently remain in police custody. NYP ref 12240006299.
Detective Chief Inspector Carol Kirk from North Yorkshire Police was leading the operation. DCI Kirk commented:
“Project Medusa is one of the largest operations that North Yorkshire Police has ever seen. It’s firmly had our approach of protecting communities and safeguarding the vulnerable at its heart.
“At the start of the new year these results are extremely positive and will go a long way to improve the quality of life for people in our communities.
“But this is two days of activity, and we won’t stop here. We will continue our relentless pursuit to protect our communities from harm and ensure that North Yorkshire remains one of the safest places to live.”
Inspector Stephen Morris, from Merseyside Police said:
“We regularly deploy to other force areas to target county lines drug dealing, and this operation with North Yorkshire shows the results that can be achieved when working jointly to target those involved in this type of criminality.
“The arrests and seizures made during this operation should act as a stark warning to county lines offenders. My message to those involved in county lines is clear – we have a zero-tolerance approach to serious organised crime, and we are relentless in our pursuit of those involved.”
Support Services
If you are a young person who is worried about being involved in county lines, or knows someone who is, you can speak to an adult and let them know how you feel.
You can also contact fearless https://crimestoppers-uk.org/fearless who allow you to pass on information about crime anonymously.
You can also contact Childline on 0800 1111 – they are a private and confidential service where you can talk to counsellors about anything that is worrying you.
Get help for drug addiction
- North Yorkshire Rise – young people’s specialist drug and alcohol service- freephone 08000 14 14 80 (option 2).
- North Yorkshire Horizons – adult specialist drug and alcohol service – freephone 08000 14 14 80 – https://www.nyhorizons.org.uk/
- York Drug and Alcohol Service – specialist support for adults and young people – 01904 464 680 – https://www.changing-lives.org.uk/find-support/york-drug-and-alcohol-services
- For details on the range of sources of support in York, including York in Recovery, please see: https://www.livewellyork.co.uk/information-and-advice/health-and-wellbeing/help-for-drugs-and-alcohol-use/
- DRUGFAM – Support for people affected by other people’s drug or alcohol misuse – 0300 888 3853 https://drugfam.co.uk/