A man was arrested on suspicion of being a County Lines drug dealer after being found with cash, phones and class A drugs.
Dorset Police took part in a week of action which led to 23 arrests, including a man from Liverpool. He was arrested after officers found him to be carrying suspected class A drugs, cash and a number of mobile phones.
Police say they suspected the man was operating a County Line between Liverpool and Weymouth and the phones found were used to facilitate dealing. During the week of action, officers in Dorset also seized over £7,000 worth of suspected class A drugs and a large quantity of suspected class B drugs, over £8,000 in cash suspected to be linked to criminality, eight mobile phones suspected to be involved in co-ordinating drug deals and two knives.
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The action was part of a wider operation, working with colleagues across the South West to make the area a hostile place for those involved in drug criminality.
Assistant Chief Constable, Rachel Farrell of Dorset Police, said: “We regularly undertake work to disrupt those who try to sell drugs in Dorset, as well as those who visit us through County lines – bringing drugs from more urban areas of the country to our County. We know that drugs can have a huge impact on our communities and children can often be exploited as part of this process, which is simply not acceptable and something we’re determined to tackle.
“I am proud of the hard work displayed by our dedicated officers, staff and volunteers throughout this week of action. This has involved team members from neighbourhood policing, intelligence, our Force support group, neighbourhood enforcement teams, CID, forensics and the firearms unit, working together collaboratively to protect vulnerable members of the community and tackle suspected criminality that has a huge impact on the residents and visitors of Dorset.
“Enforcement operations of this nature send a clear message to suspected criminals looking to use Dorset that it won’t be tolerated, and they should consider this a hostile place for their activities.”
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick said: “Once again Operation Scorpion has demonstrated that the power of partnership working in driving drugs out of our communities. The operation has resulted in more suspected drug dealers facing consequences, more suspected illegal drugs taken off the streets, more knives and dangerous weapons confiscated, more vulnerable people safeguarded and our residents and communities being safer.
“My thanks go to all the officers, staff and volunteers involved in bringing together yet another successful Operation Scorpion and I look forward to continuing to work with our neighbouring forces to make it clear that the South West is no place for drugs.”
If you have concerns about drug use or County lines in your area you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or visit the Dorset Police website: www.dorset.police.uk – always call 999 if a crime is in progress.
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