Sixteen people arrested in Warwickshire-wide drugs crackdown

Warwickshire Police has arrested 16 people during a national week of action as the force continues to crackdown on drug dealing in the county and the associated exploitation.

County Lines Intensification Week ran from 4 to 10 March and focussed on targeting drug dealers and safeguarding the vulnerable people they exploit.

Six warrants were executed across Warwickshire. One of these, at a house in Queen’s Road, Nuneaton led to the seizure of £65k worth of class A drugs, with four people arrested and later charged with drug supply offences. 

Another 120 wraps of class A drugs, 1200 cannabis plants, 23 phones, £3850 in cash and two knives were seized throughout the week.

On top of this, safeguarding was put in place for 13 children and one vulnerable adult.

Detective Inspector Chris Cook from Warwickshire Police Serious Organised and Acquisitive Crime Team, said: “We are working harder than ever to crack down on drug dealing and the associated violence and exploitation of vulnerable people.

“These regular national weeks of action play a vital role in reminding drug dealers that they can’t operate in our communities with immunity. We are looking for them, looking to hit them in their pockets by seizing their drugs and building a better intelligence picture to help continue our efforts to tackle the problem.

“This is the first County Lines Intensification Week where we have placed an additional focus on cannabis grows. The production of cannabis is a growing problem across the country with increased levels of violence amongst drug gangs and trafficking of vulnerable people to run the cannabis farms. These people are often kept in atrocious conditions and paid next to nothing.

“Information from the public is vital to help us tackle the problem in Warwickshire. Please keep the information coming in and we’ll keep acting on it.”