A SPECIALIST police unit has helped put drug dealers behind bars for more than 260 years in just over six months.
West Midlands Police’s County Lines Taskforce has successfully crumbled a number of Class A drug chains which seek to operate around the region.
Since April, the teams have identified around 250 phone lines connected to illegal supply networks and charged more than 125 suspects with over 430 offences.
The taskforce has seized hauls of drugs and over 100 weapons – the majority being knives – after acting on information and carrying out regular warrants across the West Midlands.
Since Spring, almost 50 people have been sentenced – for more than 260 years combined – for their roles in dealing drugs.
This includes three dealers who were locked up last month for more than 25 years, after we shut down a Class A drugs line which ran between Birmingham and Solihull.
The Kash Line supplied cocaine and heroin between 2023 and 2024.
County lines is commonly referred to as drug dealing where organised criminal groups (OCGs) use phone lines to move and supply drugs between areas – sometimes within towns or further afield into other regions.
Dealers typically use phone lines to send out mass messages to potential customers showing the availability of drugs and prices.
The force say in some cases they use vulnerable people, including children and those with mental health or addiction issues, to help distribute the drugs.
The County Lines Taskforce often work alongside other departments, such as neighbourhood teams across our seven local policing areas, to build up information and tackle drugs supply.
Detective Inspector Mark Robinson, of the County Lines Taskforce, said: “Drugs are a scourge on our communities, they not only ruin lives but fuel further crime to fund habits.
“As a taskforce we’re focussed on closing down illegal drug networks and ensuring those involved in running them are put behind bars.
“The teams within the taskforce work long hours to identify suspected lines, carry out enquiries into who operates them, and undertake enforcement activity.
“It’s through the dedication and determination of our officers and staff that we’ve shut down so many supply networks, made as many arrests, seizures and secured jail terms for offenders.
“This is very much ongoing and we’re working night and day to keep the streets safe and pursue criminals who cause harm in our region.”
