York – Police seize drugs and cash in County Lines crackdown

North Yorkshire Police said taxis in the city were stopped and checked to identify passengers who may be transporting illegal drugs as part of an operation which ran from Monday, March 2 to Sunday, March 8.

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On March 5, The Press spotted vehicle checks with officers looking into the boots of cars at Askham Bog nature reserve just off the A1036 Tadcaster Road, one of the principal routes into the city from the west of York.

Taxis were also stopped in Harrogate.

In Filey, specialist drugs dogs were deployed to carry out proactive patrols in pubs during the evenings to detect illegal substances.

Four arrests were made and the same number of addresses were raided across the county and police seized suspected cocaine, crack cocaine and cannabis, along with £10,500 in cash thought to be linked to drug supply.

Chief Superintendent Fran Naughton from North Yorkshire Police said: “The use of illegal drugs causes real harm in our communities and is often the route cause to a lot of the serious and organised crime that we deal with.

“From enforcement and arrests to safeguarding and education, our teams and partners worked together last week to protect vulnerable people and disrupt those who seek to exploit them.

“Our work never stops, this week of intensification mirrors our daily business.

“We will continue to target those involved in organised crime and ensure North Yorkshire remains a hostile place for anyone looking to bring drugs into our county.”

A force spokesperson said safeguarding teams also carried out visits to protect vulnerable individuals believed to be at risk of being targeted or groomed by organised crime groups.

26 addresses were visited and 10 people were given protection.

North Yorkshire Police increased proactive county lines prevention work at Scarborough railway station (Image: North Yorkshire Police)

North Yorkshire Council and British Transport Police joined the operation with increased high-visibility and plain-clothed operations on trains and at stations.

Educational sessions were given at 16 schools in the county, reaching 1,800 pupils.

Children’s author Christina Gabbitas spoke to many of these students, delivering her “No More Knives” and “Missing in County Lines” message and raising awareness of the risks of exploitation.