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Officers arrested 15 people, disrupted drug lines and dismantled two cannabis factories during County Lines Intensification Week in Hart and Rushmoor. The week of intensification, which ran from Monday 25 November until Sunday 1 December, saw officers focus their efforts on County Lines. County Lines is a term used to describe organised criminal networks who move illegal drugs out of larger cities into smaller towns and cities in the UK, using dedicated mobile phone lines. They are likely to exploit children and vulnerable adults to move and store the drugs and money, and they will often use coercion, intimidation, violence and weapons. During the intensification week, the Hart and Rushmoor Priority Crime Team and Neighbourhood Policing Team carried out proactive warrants, operations, patrols and stop checks. Some of the highlights are below: On Monday 25 November, officers executed a warrant at an address on Beech Close, Aldershot, and located suspected Class A and Class B drugs, a Samurai sword, a locking knife and £3,000 in cash. All items were seized. A 20-year-old man from Aldershot was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A, possessing an offensive weapon in a private place and possessing a controlled drug of Class B. He has been bailed, pending further enquiries On Monday 25 November, officers arrested a 61-year-old man from Reading and a 17-year-old boy from Reading on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug following a proactive stop in Farnborough. Officers stopped a vehicle on Farnborough Road and found more than 40 wraps of suspected Class A drugs, £155 in cash and Class B drugs. All items were seized. The pair have been bailed with conditions, pending further enquiries On Monday 25 November, officers located a substantial cannabis factory inside an address on Victoria Road, Aldershot. It is estimated approximately 1,000 cannabis plants, in various stages of growth, were inside the property. A 28-year-old man from Southend was arrested on suspicion of cultivating a cannabis plant a Class B controlled drug. He was released under investigation, pending further enquiries On Tuesday 26 November, officers were called to an address on Wellington Avenue, Aldershot, following reports of drug-related activity. Following a search, officers located suspected Class A drugs and £845 in cash. Jade Cox, 26, of Grosvenor Road, Aldershot, was charged with being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine and possessing an offensive weapon in a private place. She has been bailed with conditions and is due to appear at Winchester Crown Court on 8 January. Keeva Harris, 23, of Holburne Road, London, was charged with being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine. He has been remanded into custody and is due to appear at Winchester Crown Court on 8 January On Thursday 28 November, officers carried out a warrant at address in Matthews Close, Farnborough. A cannabis factory containing 64 cannabis plants was located On Sunday 1 December, officers executed a warrant at an address on Montgomery Road, Farnborough, and located suspected Class A drugs and £830 in cash. A 37-year-old woman and a 39-year-old man from Farnborough were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug. A 26-year-old man from Preston was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A. They have been bailed with conditions, pending further enquiries Throughout the week, four other people were arrested following proactive stops of vehicles in the district. On Wednesday 27 November, officers worked with colleagues in the Metropolitan Police to carry out two warrants in Croydon, south London, as part of an investigation into drugs supply in our district. Two men were arrested. Marvin Roach, 26, and Tristan Nugent, 31, both of no fixed abode, were charged with being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin and are due to appear at Croydon Crown Court at a later date. Two men, one woman and one teenage boy were safeguarded following various visits in the district.A/Police Sergeant Daniel Eaves, from the Hart and Rushmoor Priority Crime Team, said: “Our officers have been out disrupting County Lines drug dealing in Hart and Rushmoor. “We take this extremely seriously and our officers do everything we can to prevent the exploitation of children and vulnerable people in the district. “We arrested 15 people, charged two of them and disrupted a number of drugs lines and took a considerable amount of Class A and Class B drugs off the streets. Because of this work, I'm pleased to say the week has been a huge success. “Where there are drugs, there is almost always violence which is why tackling and disrupting the supply of drugs, especially through County Lines, is a vital part of our work to reduce violent crime and keep people safe. “Please continue to tell us about any suspected drugs activity in your neighbourhood so we can safeguard children and vulnerable adults and bring offenders to justice.” To read more about CLIW, and how officers removed more than £300,000 worth of drugs from the streets of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, click here: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/news/hampshire/news/news/2024/december/drug-supply-lines-disrupted-across-hampshire-and-isle-of-wight-during-national-week-of-intensification/ To make a report, you can contact us on 101 or make a report via our website at https://www.hampshire.police.uk/. If you don’t want to report to the police directly, you can report to the charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/ For information on spotting the signs of exploitation please visit The Children Society’s website https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/our-work/child-criminal-exploitation-and-county-lines/spotting-signs ENDS |
