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The week of action by Thames Valley Police led to 46 arrests, over £37,000 in cash being seized and the identifying of 22 vulnerable people that were being targeted by county lines drug dealers.

Between Monday October 3 and Friday October 7, Thames Valley Police worked closely with partners from local authorities, homeless charities, and schools for a week-long intensification of activities to tackle county lines drug dealing.

This led to 46 arrests of people connected to county lines drug dealing across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire. Officers stopped 68 people and vehicles, seized 81 phones linked to county line drug dealing, and over 500 wraps of Class A drugs were also seized.

County Lines drug dealing is the name given to drug dealing where organised criminal groups (OCGs) use phone lines to move and supply drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.

A week of action by Thames Valley Police has led to 46 arrests

Officers also carried out 30 school visits, giving young people and teachers the information to spot the signs that someone is being groomed by an organised crime group.

The police visited 59 addresses where known “cuckooing” has taken place. Cuckooing is where OCGs target the address of a vulnerable adult, taking over the property that the adult is living in and forcing them to sell drugs out of their home.

Detective Inspector Simon Hannam said: “This has been a hugely successful week for Thames Valley Police, working with the National Crime Agency to tackle County Lines drug dealing.

“But the week of action is just part of the ongoing effort to tackle organised crime and crime linked to County Lines drug dealing. We know the very harmful effects it has on our communities including young people and vulnerable adults.

Thames Valley Police worked closely with partners from local authorities, homeless charities and schools for a week-long intensification of activities to tackle County Lines drug dealing.

“Nationally, we know children as young as six are being groomed into the world of drugs. They are forced to move drugs, sometimes inside their own bodies, and face violence, intimidation and sexual assault. These are the true costs of child exploitation by organised crime networks.

“As part of our True Costs campaign, we will continue to raise awareness of the signs of exploitation and the true cost of exploitation of children.

“Our Drugs Focus Taskforce, continues its work to disrupt county lines and local drug lines, we will relentlessly pursue those who are involved in this criminality and exploit others.”

Week of action for Thames Valley Police sees multiple county lines drug dealing arrests