Officers across Cambridgeshire have made nine arrests, seized drugs, cash and mobile phones as part of a week of action on county lines crime.
Throughout the national week of action (14-21 September), police also visited vulnerable people across the county to check they were not being exploited by county lines drug dealers and to build up a better picture of the crime in the area.
Working alongside other forces and partners, officers executed warrants in Cambridge, Peterborough, Wisbech and London where the arrests were made. They seized 88 wraps of heroin, more than £1,000 cash and multiple mobile phones.
Five potential cuckooed addresses, where drug dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person in order to use it as a base for dealing, were visited and five people safeguarded.
County lines is a priority in Cambridgeshire and during this targeted week we successfully dismantled four drug lines.
Our work will continue beyond this week of action to tackle drug networks, which bring a whole host of criminality to our county as well as harm to the most vulnerable people in our communities.
Throughout the week the force was also urging the people of Cambridgeshire to look closer in order to spot children and young people who are being exploited by county lines criminals.
Public spaces like bus and train stations, fast food outlets, hotels and roadside services can be where young victims of exploitation are most visible.
We often hear that victims of county lines criminality don’t know they are being exploited or don’t have the confidence to report it because they fear there may be consequences.
Children and young people who are being exploited may not always appear vulnerable or act the way we may expect victims should. If something doesn’t feel right, it may not be.
If you suspect someone is at risk of child exploitation, you can report it to us here. You don’t have to tell us your name, just what you have seen.
Detective Chief Inspector Chris O’Brien