30 kilos of drugs, £400k in cash and over 200 arrested in police raids to tackle county lines gangs

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

30 kilos of drugs, £400k in cash and over 200 suspects have been arrested in a series of police raids to tackle county lines gangs over the last eight months in Greater Manchester, it has been revealed.

Detectives have shut down 120 county lines gangs with a total of 235 people arrested for a range of offences including drug supply, modern slavery offences, and money laundering; with over 100 vulnerable adults and children referred to specialised safeguarding services.

County Lines are the use of dedicated phone lines to supply drugs from urban areas out to smaller towns across the country and to different areas within the same city. READ MORE: The neighbourhoods in Greater Manchester given more money to help homeless people READ MORE: 'In true Manchester form, we want to have our cake and eat it' Greater Manchester Police said vulnerable people, including children and those with mental health or addiction issues, are often recruited to distribute drugs, and that those who become involved are offered the chance to earn hundreds of pounds a day.

Dedicated officers from the County Lines Team along with partners say they 'continue to work tirelessly to compile intelligence and disrupt those responsible' across the region.