Exclusive:'Be worried': Warning to county lines drug dealers in Leeds as crackdown intensifies

That was the warning to those overseeing and enabling the exploitation of young and vulnerable people in Leeds and across West Yorkshire by forcing them to sell drugs from their homes.

County lines drug dealing has been rife in the region for years and involves higher ranked drug dealers exploiting vulnerable people - often either young or with mental health and substance issues - to sell drugs between different counties using various methods including ‘cuckooing’ their properties and forcing them to use burner phones. They are then kept under control using a range of methods including violence and debt bonding.

It’s because of the widespread nature of county lines drug dealing in West Yorkshire that £1.3m in funding from the Home Office was put towards establishing Operation Phoenix, a 16-strong new taskforce focussing solely on bringing down and disrupting county lines.

Since October, the taskforce has made 72 arrests, seized 7.5kg worth of Class A drugs and recovered 19 lethal weapons during frequent raids at properties across the county.

One of those raids took place in west Leeds early on Tuesday morning (February 3) and saw two men being arrested after the property was accessed using a saw.

Detective inspector Helen Chapman, who leads the taskforce, spoke outside of the property and said that despite the immense work being done to tackle it, county lines remains a “growing problem”.

She said: “What comes with county lines is serious violence and exploitation. They’re preying on the most vulnerable in our communities for either cuckooing or drug running and exploiting young individuals to support them with their criminal enterprise.

“We would encourage any intelligence to come in so we can keep going at those highest individuals and organised criminals who are blighting our communities.”

County lines drug dealing often involves drugs being imported from around the world to places like Leeds and distributed around the country, so the taskforce works with neighbouring police forces in Scotland, South Yorkshire, Manchester, Lincolnshire and beyond.

The taskforce has so seen the 55 county lines being closed, meaning that the phone lines have been removed, and 43 people have been safeguarded.

Det Insp Chapman said that the establishment of the taskforce had been “great” as they work to tackle offenders while also providing safeguarding and support for vulnerable people who get tied up in the web of county lines dealing.

While county lines is a widespread issue across the country, West Yorkshire is particularly attractive location to target by perpetrators because of its status as a “hub” that is made up of and well linked to major cities and also equipped with an airport.

Deputy mayor Alison Lowe, speaking at Elland Road police station, said: “International criminals and those in England and Wales focus on areas like Leeds, Bradford and Kirklees where you’ve got lots of people living cheek by jowl, lots of vulnerability and lots of people in disadvantaged areas. They target those young and vulnerable people to exploit them for their own ends.”

Leeds itself also lends itself to county lines because criminals are able to “hide” within the metropolis and there are more people to prey on.

Ms Lowe said that the taskforce is “about action”, saying: “It’s not about talking, strategy, policy or process. It’s about understanding how serious organised criminals work, getting upstream and disrupting those criminals, arresting them and taking their guns, knives, weapons off the street and then recognising the vulnerability of the people lower down the chain who have been exploited and targeted.

“That’s their model: find the weakest, most vulnerable person you can and get them to commit the crime for you so that the person at the top of the chain can go to Dubai and have a nice holiday.

“That’s why we need to deal with those people at the top of the chain and protect the vulnerable, young people lower down.”

Asked for her message to people involved in county lines, Ms Lowe said: “We are going to get you. We are going to stop you from harming our communities in West Yorkshire. We’ve got the tools, resources and skills from our teams here in West Yorkshire.

“They’re very good at what they do so be very worried. Stop.”

Det Insp Chapman said that the focus going forward is to continue taking enforcement on the most harmful lines, such as those linked with firearms, and closing as many lines as possible while protecting the most vulnerable.

As part of the funding, dedicated support services are being provided by Catch22., a national charity that supports vulnerable, young people.

Ms Lowe said: “We’re very lucky here in West Yorkshire as we already have a plethora of third-sector support organisations and community groups to help young people and vulnerable people and we’re really confident that that network of support for those exploited is there.

“In Leeds we’ve got Chapeltown Youth Development Trust, Catch, Champions Football Team. You name it and we’ve got a whole range of charities and grassroots organisations doing brilliant work. They’re committed to keeping West Yorkshire safe, just and free from the scourge of criminality.

“That’s why this is a brilliant scheme because it’s augmenting what’s already available in West Yorkshire, adding value and making a real difference.”