Man arrested at Sheffield station in 'county lines' anti-drug crime operation

The man was arrested by officers from the British Transport Police on Thursday, 17 September, for possession with intent to supply cannabis after he attempted to avoid their drugs dog.

He was found to be in possession of 20 wraps of cannabis, scales, three phones and a large knife, and was released under investigation.

Another man arrested the same day was wanted for theft.

The arrest was part of a UK-wide BTP operation to disrupt so-called ‘county lines’ drug crime, where dealers use vulnerable young people to courier drugs around the country.

As well as the arrests in Sheffield, arrests also took place in Preston, Manchester, Leeds and Lancaster.

BTP county lines taskforce lead, Detective Superintendent Gareth Williams, said: “Our taskforce is in a unique position, we operate nationally and target county lines activity across the railway network.“Our experience has proven that gangs who use the railway network rely on younger people to move drugs. These individuals are victims, forced through exploitation or intimidation into desperate situations, and it’s always our priority to make support available that can get them out of harm and away from crime.

“Since December, we’ve been carrying out operations daily, always based on developing intelligence that shows where gangs are operating. We get part of our information through working in partnership with other law enforcement agencies, but also importantly through the support of the rail industry who train their staff to spot signs of exploitation.

“These efforts to raise awareness of signs of exploitation have been greatly helped by the work of The Children’s Society who’s #LookCloser campaign aims to encourage everyone to spot key signs.

“Key indicators include a teenager travelling long distances, alone with a large amount of cash, or avoiding any sort of authority at stations. These indicators are small but invaluable and help inform where we target next. We have a rapidly evolving understanding of county lines offending and we are prepared to tackle it, wherever the intelligence leads us.”

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