Footage of police officers breaking down a door to a home in Bristol during a drug raid has been shared. Police across the South West have been working tirelessly to tackle drug trafficking and stop people who recruit children and vulnerable adults to supply drugs across the country.
Police officers have arrested 17 people this week, many who are suspected to be linked to county lines drug dealing. One of the arrested are related to the carrying of a weapon. Five of those arrested have since been charged.
Officers visited 18 properties that are believed to be at risk of cuckooing, which is where drug gangs manipulate vulnerable people in order to use their homes to criminals who use it as a ‘base’.
Police also provided protection from exploitation to five people, three of whom are under 18. They have also seized five drug lines.
Police also referred two cases to the National Referral Mechanism, which identifies potential victims of modern slavery and ensures they get appropriate support, carried out visible and plain clothes patrols in areas where drug dealing is suspected and on roads and rail networks, with the help of British Transport Police who police the railways and worked closely with taxi drivers, helping them to spot the signs of exploitation and know how to help get a child to a place of safety.
In central Bristol, officers witnessed a drug deal taking place and followed the person to their home address, where a search under the Misuse of Drugs Act was carried out and cannabis found. Two arrests were made at the address, with further drugs, cash and mobile phones seized.
In north Bristol, response officers in the Filton area followed a vehicle which was driving erratically and evasively. A search was conducted and snap bags containing suspected Class B drugs (cannabis) and a large amount of cash were seized. The driver was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class B drugs and possession of criminal property.
In north west Bristol, officers attended an address in the Shirehampton area, following reports of a cannabis grow, and discovered more than 250 mature cannabis plants located throughout the property. A man was found hiding under the bed in an adjacent annexe. He was arrested and his phone seized. The suspect has been given police bail while investigations continue
In North Somerset, officers conducted a warrant in Clevedon, where they seized suspected Class A and Class B drugs, along with mobile phones and drugs paraphernalia. A 36-year-old man was arrested and charged with possession with intent to supply Class A (cocaine) and Class B (cannabis). He is currently remanded in custody, awaiting trial.
In Bridgwater, officers conducting an arrest attempt at an address were able to safeguard the occupant who had been cuckooed. Two people were arrested at the address on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs (heroin and crack cocaine) with drugs, drug paraphernalia and a mobile phone seized from the property.
Throughout their work, Avon and Somerset Police collaborated with Devon and Cornwall, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Police, as well as the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU), to combat criminals who bring drug-related misery into the communities of the South West.
In addition to executing warrants, conducting investigations and patrols, officers visited addresses where residents are considered at risk of ‘cuckooing’. Cuckooing is a type of criminal exploitation where vulnerable individuals are tricked, coerced, controlled, or intimidated into giving up their accommodation to criminals (often drug dealers), who then use it as a base for their illicit activities.
Assistant chief constable Jon Cummins said: “At the heart of everything we do are the victims. We work continuously through engagement, education and training to prevent children, young people and vulnerable adults from being drawn into the county lines model. Where they are, we work to protect them from harm whilst relentlessly pursuing the criminals who exploit them, now sometimes through victimless prosecutions – which rely on evidence gathered rather than the testimony of those involved – to charge individuals with their crimes.
“County lines drug dealing is widely linked to exploitation of children, young people and vulnerable adults, as well as increased levels of anti-social behaviour, violence and weapons-related crimes in our communities.
“We tackle drugs-related criminality every day of the year. Intensification weeks provide the opportunity to focus on partnership working with policing colleagues in our local area, across the wider region and throughout the country, sharing intelligence to disrupt and take down county lines.
“We are working to target the line holders, shut down the lines and arrest those who have been profiteering for drugs offences and, where appropriate, modern slavery offences. We are dedicated to bringing those responsible for violence and exploitation to justice.”