Police target County Lines drugs ring operating in Newark

Police believe they have smashed a major County Lines drugs ring operating in Newark.

A series of daybreak raids were carried out in an ongoing war against drugs supply.

Speaking after the latest raids that form Operation Vow, the town's police chief, Inspector Heather Sutton, said she wanted Newark to be too hot to handle.

Market towns such as Newark are often seen as soft targets from gangs wanting seeking openings to ply a trade from larger cities where the drugs market is often saturated.

County Lines gangs usually exploit vulnerable people, particularly minors, to pedal heroin and crack cocaine to limit their own risk.

Nine people have been arrested as part of a pre-planned complex operation into County Lines drugs supplies operating from Nottingham and supplying Newark with cocaine and heroin.

It follows six warrants being executed on Tuesday and yesterday in Esther Varney Place, Grange Road, Newark, London Road, Stodman Mews, all Newark, Maitland Road, Woodthorpe, and Barent Walk, Bestwood.

Large quantities of drugs were said to have been recovered.

Six men, two women and a teenager were arrested for various offences connected with class A drugs, including conspiracy to supply, possession with intent to supply class A and class B drugs, and shop theft.

One of those, Michael Jones, 48, of Grange Road, Newark, has been charged with a shop theft committed on April 24 and will appear at Nottingham Magistrates Court on September 17.

Two other men were arrested on Friday after a vehicle was stopped in Lowdham as part of the operation. A substantial quantity of suspected class A drugs were found in the vehicle.

A 26 year old and 24 year old were questioned and released on police bail pending further enquiries.

Inspector Sutton, district commander for Newark and Sherwood, said: “This has been a very complex investigation that has involved assets from across the force, who are working together to dismantle the drugs supply into Newark and protect our community.

"Arresting suspects is one part of dismantling drugs supply."

Inspector Sutton said the latest disruption to the alleged trafficking and supply of drugs did not stop at enforcement.

"We have been working closely with a variety of partners, who all support the fight against County Lines," she said.

She said partnership work was being done to support vulnerable people to try and ensure they were prevented from becoming victims in the future.

Work was also being done to try and ensure Newark was off-limits to any gang who might seek to fill a void left by the alleged break up of this particular gang.

"Newark and Sherwood District Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, drugs support services, housing providers, social care, NHS, EMAS, Notts fire and rescue and other partners have all been involved in protecting our district, our work will continue," she said.

"We have more work to do.”

Operation Vow was launched when police began to witness increased levels of acquisitive crime such as burglary and shoplifting.

Intelligence led police to suspect County Lines gangs had begun to infiltrate and take over the town's drugs market from smaller time local dealers.

Prior to the most recent raids, Vow smashed two such rings.

The first was a sophisticated underworld operation known as The Newark Drugs Line that received 24,000 calls led by a serving prisoner from his cell.

In September last year, the gang, including its leader received, received a total of more than 70 years behind bars.

Then in March of this year, Jordan Yankarran, 18, of Westcliff-on-Sea, was sentenced to three years and three months after being convicted of possession of class A drugs in Newark.

If you suspect drug dealing in your neighbourghood, call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.