An operation targeting the supply of drugs in Kent resulted in 34 arrests and the seizure cocaine, heroin, cash and weapons.
Kent Police participated in the national county lines intensification week that ran from Monday 25 November to Sunday 1 December 2024, with illegal substances valued at up to £120,000 being removed from the county’s streets.
Officers also seized around £110,000 in cash, 14 weapons including knives and knuckledusters, two imitation firearms and 16 mobile phones suspected of being used to sell drugs.
A total of 22 suspected offenders have since been charged with 69 separate offences.
In Margate officers stopped a suspicious vehicle in Grosvenor Place and seized 86 wraps of class A drugs along with a machete, three mobile phones and £100 in cash.
Gregory Crockett, 30, of Friary Road, Birmingham, Mathis Ohouau, 26, of Waterfield Close in Thamesmead, south-east London, and Lauren Sinclair-Sims, 27, of Church Green, Birmingham, were arrested at the scene and have all since been charged with drug supply offences.
Detective Chief Inspector Chris Rabey of Kent Police said: “County lines are drug supply networks that bring misery to communities in the form of antisocial behaviour and violence, and the results from this operation demonstrate our commitment to dismantling the criminal gangs responsible and putting them behind bars.
“We simply do not tolerate this type of activity in Kent and remain dedicated to clearing illegal substances and the people who supply them from our streets, for the benefit of everyone who lives, works and visits here.”
Throughout the week Kent Police also identified 10 vulnerable people including two children believed to have been exploited by criminal gangs, all of whom have been provided with safeguarding and support.
DCI Rabey said: “Stopping the exploitation perpetrated by county lines gangs is a priority for policing and we encourage members of the public to come forward with information to help us protect the most vulnerable in society.
“These gangs use grooming tactics like buying children food or clothes to win their trust and make them feel indebted, and it is therefore important that everyone recognises the signs of exploitation and reports any concerns to the police or another trusted organisation such as a school, charity or local authority.
“Examples can include a child travelling alone during school hours or late at night, looking lost or in unfamiliar surroundings, or being in possession of unexplained new items such as expensive trainers, jewellery or mobile phones.”
Visit the Kent Police website for further information and advice around child criminal exploitation.
Well done all concerned. Now lock ’em up and chuck the key away. These folks never have, and never will contribute anything positive to the world.
Legalise Marijuana, tax it high like alcohol, tobacco and petrol then use the extra revenue to run operations like this on a weekly basis.
There are lots of farms here in the UK growing medical grade Marijuana under licence all ready, it would be an easy move.
Would add an extra level of protection for the most venerable including our children.
So the cost of the now leagal weed is easy for the crims to undercut, so no reason for existing users to change their supplier of choice , especially given the state service is hardly going to deliver it to you by someone on a bike/scooter.
How would you identify legal weed from illegal going forward causing all sorts of issues if trying to prosecute for possession. Plus all the additional issues of aquisitive crime as new users became unemployable and sought other ways to fund their mew aromatic lifestyle.
Between drugs, excess weight and the mental health fad ( yes all 3 due have a minority who really can’t change their ways) poor school attendance, the country is never going to have improved standards of living , the cost of dealing with the issues will just consume too much of the nations output. We’ve a record tax burden as it is but still there is a clamour for more support for all and sundry, quite where does it stop?
Another reply that’s gone for moderation
Or just ban the gateway drug; tobacco!
Kent County Lines-with people from Birmingham & London. Bit far from home again-but we seem to see a lot of criminals coming down from the Midlands to rob & deal in recent years.
110K in cash of course sounds impressive, until you divide it by 34-coming to about 3 grand a head (hardly big time criminal masterminds) & as usual you then know it is the bottom feeders of the operation. The only difference this time is some of them actually have addresses, rather than being the exploited homeless addicts.
Going ater the actual big boys who have thundreds of thousands sitting in their homes by building intelligence is not something that interests the authorities-the only way to really cut into this. Because these low level people can & will be replaced within hours & the ‘disruption’ we keep hearing about is in reality very slight. Much easier & of course cheaper just to round up the saps for tough on drugs headlines.
Remember, most people in Margate didn’t take drugs today.
(actually, that’s probably a lie!)
“In Margate officers stopped a suspicious vehicle in Grosvenor Place and seized 86 wraps of class A drugs along with a machete, three mobile phones and £100 in cash.” Isn’t that where the Probation office is located?
There’s a need to get rid of the drug barons who use the skivvy’s to do all the work involved in illegal importation and distribution to these traffickers on the ground that the police keep picking up and letting go otherwise nothing will change, other than the persons doing the dealing.