Officers secure charges against 16 people during County Lines Intensification Week

Gwent Police arrested and charged 16 people suspected of committing drug offences during a week of targeted action to identify and dismantle county lines.

Gwent Police arrested and charged 16 people suspected of committing drug offences during a week of targeted action to identify and dismantle county lines. 

As part of a national effort to intensify investigations against organised criminals, we also seized six phones thought to be connected to drug lines, around £35,000 in cash, class A and B drugs as well as knives and an imitation firearm. 

Between Monday 25 November and Sunday 1 December, officers carried out numerous warrants in premises across Risca, Newport, Blaenavon and Tredeger, arresting 16 people on suspicion of committing offences including conspiracy to supply class A drugs, possession of criminal property and offences related to exploitation.

We also carried out patrols in Newport city centre, and train stations in Newport and Cwmbran to look out for children at risk of exploitation and spoke to adults at risk of being sexually exploited and recruited into county lines. 

The week also saw officers demonstrate our prevention-first approach to the issue, with around 1,000 learners across Gwent spoken to by officers about the signs of criminal exploitation, how to stay safe, and who to go to if you’re concerned about exploitation or gangs in your area. 

The intensification week comes just two weeks after officers put an OCG leader behind bars for more than eight years after discovering a line running cocaine between Bristol and Abertillery. 

Detective Superintendent Matthew Sedgebeer said: 

“We’re continuing to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle county lines, put organised criminals behind bars and protect and safeguard vulnerable people.  

“At the heart of the county lines model is the exploitation of vulnerable children and adults by callous criminals whose only concern is making a profit off the misery caused by drug supply. 

“Those exploited become embroiled in a life of violence, paranoia, addiction and debt bondage. 

“Gwent will continue to be a hostile environment for organised criminals, one where our officers will not rest until those responsible for drug supply, violence and exploitation are brought to justice.” 

County lines is a drugs distribution model using mobile phones where drugs are exported from major cities and imported into other areas, often using vulnerable children and adults. 

County lines can happen locally as well as across the UK, with no specified distance of travel required.  

Central to the model is the exploitation of children and vulnerable adults, who’re often used to transport drugs from one area to another, or to the buyer often putting them in the middle of threatening or violent situations.