Drugs seized and 24 arrested in Lincolnshire county lines raids

Police made 24 arrests and seized Class A drugs and money in the raids

Twenty four people have been arrested in a police operation targeting county lines gangs in Lincolnshire.

Officers had raided a number of properties around the county over the last week, according to Lincolnshire Police.

Class A drugs and cannabis were seized and five people, including a young girl, were safeguarded, a force spokesperson said.

Those arrested were held on suspicion of drugs-related and modern slavery offences.

A number of raids were carried out across the county, including in Lincoln, Spilsby and Skegness, which were part of a national week of action.

The force said officers had also spoken to staff at schools, taxi firms and fast-food outlets to help them understand how to spot the signs of someone being exploited.

Det Insp Gail Hurley, from the Force Intelligence Bureau, said: "The negative impact of drugs on our communities can be significant, which is why we make it a priority to disrupt and close down county lines throughout the year.

"The organised networks orchestrating county lines activities prey on the most vulnerable members of society - children, adults with additional needs, addicts - and pull them in to a world of exploitation, danger, and fear.

"We know that with drugs comes weapons-related crime and other offending, and we target both types of criminality and do everything in our power to bring those responsible to justice."

County lines gangs are urban drug dealers who sell to customers in more rural areas via dedicated phone lines.

Those running the networks often exploit children or vulnerable people to deal drugs, including using a practice known as "cuckooing" to take over a person's home as a base to sell drugs.

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