Fifty arrested and drugs seized in Lancashire county lines crackdown

Thirty-nine men and five women were arrested, along with six people aged under 1, police say

Fifty people have been arrested as drugs, cash, weapons and mobile phones were seized in a police crackdown on county lines drug dealing.

The Lancashire Police operation was part of a week of "intensified" action.

Thousands of pounds worth of class A and class B drugs were seized along with cash, 40 mobile phones and 17 weapons.

The force said it wanted to make Lancashire "an uncomfortable place" for dealers.

Thirty-nine men and five women were arrested, along with six people aged under 18.

County lines is police terminology to describe drug dealing where dealers use mobile phones to supply drugs from large cities to towns and rural areas using vulnerable people as runners.

Weapons have also been seized in the crackdown

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.

The Lancashire force also visited and safeguarded vulnerable people, provided educational visits to schools and visited bus stations, railway stations and taxi ranks to raise awareness of the issue.

Thousands of pounds of cash were seized during the raids

Supt Graham Hill said: "This activity is a snapshot of the work carried out across Lancashire every single day to disrupt those involved in organised crime as part of Operation Warrior.

"Our intention is to make Lancashire an uncomfortable place for these criminals to operate."

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