Successful drugs raid in city

The supply of cocaine and ketamine into Lincoln has been disrupted thanks to a joint policing operation on the county’s railway lines and in the city centre.

Together with British Transport Police’s (BTP) County Lines taskforce, the Lincoln Neighbourhood Policing Team carried out a two-day operation targeting suspected criminal gangs, which were moving drugs via the rail network.

Last week’s operation saw BTP’s passive drugs dog PD Mace (pictured below) deployed to sniff out illegal substances of those using the rail network, as well as knife arches to detect offensive weapons.

Lincolnshire Police officers were patrolling areas of the city centre coordinating their efforts with the railway activities and a total of 13 arrests were made’

One 35-year-old man was arrested on multiple offences including suspicion of being concerned in the supply of cocaine, possession of an offensive weapon and drug-driving Four people  were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply and four more were arrested in connection with investigations into drugs supply; two arrested on suspicion of possession, one of which was Class A drug. Another two people were arrested on suspicion of burglary.

The operation also involved: 

22 stop searches

24 stop and accounts

• 22 stop searches
• 24 stop and accounts
• 12 phones seized
• An estimated £8,900 of Class A cocaine and MDMA drugs seized
• £5,590 in cash seized
• Cannabis seized
• Three zombie knives and two machetes seized
• Three children safeguarded
• One adult safeguarded, who was believed to be a victim of cuckooingRetail venues, hotels and cafes in all areas were visited and given prevention advice, told how to spot the signs of County Lines, and leaflets and posters were distributed.

Investigations are continuing following the arrests and officers and safeguarding teams will be working with those identified as needing support to divert them from becoming involved in drug dealing.

Inspector Jon Birkin from the Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Criminal gangs can make the mistake of thinking Lincoln is a quiet little city, and they won’t meet resistance here. 

"Our most recent operation with BTP shows that we’re not working in isolation, there is a connected force of officers across the UK working together and sharing information to challenge and disrupting County Lines, and we’re part of that. 

"County Lines gangs use the most vulnerable people in our society – children and older people at risk of being exploited – to further their enterprise. It’s reprehensible, it ruins lives, and every one of my officers is tackling the issue and will continue to join up with our colleagues on the railways.”

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

They exploit vulnerable people, including children and those with mental health or addiction issues, by recruiting them to distribute the drugs. This is often referred to as ‘drug running’, and those children or vulnerable people can become trapped in a life of criminality. Criminals may also use a vulnerable person’s home as their base of operations. This is known as ‘cuckooing’.