Cannabis edibles worth £300,000 seized during county lines drugs bust in West Yorkshire

Cannabis edibles worth £300,000 have been seized during a drugs bust in West Yorkshire.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The drugs, disguised in sweet and chocolate wrappers, were seized by police as part of a week-long operation targeting county lines crime.

There were 39 arrests made during the operation between March 7-March 13.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

County lines crime involves the moving of illegal drugs from one area to another, often across police and local authority boundaries, and usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs.

The drugs, disguised in sweet and chocolate wrappers, were seized in Wakefield as part of a week-long operation targeting county lines crime (Photo: West Yorkshire Police)The drugs, disguised in sweet and chocolate wrappers, were seized in Wakefield as part of a week-long operation targeting county lines crime (Photo: West Yorkshire Police)
The drugs, disguised in sweet and chocolate wrappers, were seized in Wakefield as part of a week-long operation targeting county lines crime (Photo: West Yorkshire Police)
Read More
Ruthven View police incident: Man taken to hospital with serious injuries after ...

The 'county line' is the mobile phone line used to take the orders of drugs.

The cannabis edibles were seized from a house in Upton, Wakefield.

The drugs, made to look like sweets and wrapped up in colourful packets, were expected to be distributed from West Yorkshire to areas across the country.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Around £2,000 of cannabis was retrieved as well as nearly £10,000 of crack cocaine and more than £6,750 of heroin.

A total of 19 mobile phones used by dealers to arrange the supply of drugs were seized as well as designer clothing, high-value electric bikes and scooters and nearly £130,000 in cash.

Among the weapons seized were knives, an axe, batons and a crossbow.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Officers also identified or engaged with 46 vulnerable adults and paid a visit to three cuckooed addresses, where vulnerable people are being exploited by criminal gangs in their homes.

Detective Supt Fiona Gaffney, head of Serious and Organised Crime at West Yorkshire Police, said: “County Lines and the organised crime linked to it has a significant impact on the people of West Yorkshire and the communities we serve.

“It’s linked to violence and the exploitation of many vulnerable people.

“Our aim is to disrupt these activities and to reassure people in our county that we won’t tolerate county lines criminality anywhere in West Yorkshire."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Support the YEP and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news and the latest on Leeds United, With a digital subscription, you see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.