A TOTAL of 17 people have been arrested in a crackdown for a variety of offences including drug supply across East Yorkshire.

A joint operation between British Transport Police (BTP) and Humberside Police across East Riding has resulted in drugs, weapons and illicit cash seized.

From May 18 to May 19, teams from both forces deployed across the county, including at rail stations and on-board trains.

Read next:

Operations were conducted in Hull, Bridlington, Scunthorpe, Grimsby and Goole, comprising uniformed and plain-clothes officers alongside specialist resources such as drugs dogs and metal detection arches.

Teams from both forces also executed five warrants, including at an address where 91 cannabis plants were discovered.

DI Brian Buddo of BTP’s County Lines Taskforce said: “The results of this intelligence-led operation demonstrate that working closely with our policing colleagues maximises our ability to disrupt this crime type.

“As well as intercepting harmful drugs before they reached the community, we engaged with passengers across the county to reassure them of our tireless work to pursue and apprehend offenders.

“We’re wholeheartedly dedicated to ensuring the rail network is a hostile environment for drug suppliers to move their commodities.”

Humberside Police Sergeant Zoe Messenger of Hull Central Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “This was a fantastic opportunity to work alongside our colleagues at BTP in an intensive effort to help disrupt county lines drug dealing in our area.

“Tackling drug crimes within the Humberside force area is a priority for us we know the crime that comes with it can have far-reaching consequences on local communities. 

“The benefits of joint operations like this with our partners not only gets immediate results, but also acts as a visible deterrent.

“In carrying out the operation we have been able to share information, identify offenders and better protect the people and communities across our area to minimise the risk that county lines drugs supply presents to these communities.

“We hope that this type of operation reassures our communities that we are proactively tackling county lines drug dealing and I would like to thank the public for their support, as without information from them we couldn’t have the impact we do.”

BTP’s County Lines Taskforce was setup with Home Office funding in December 2019. It was created to disrupt and apprehend criminals using the railway to move drugs across England, Scotland and Wales and safeguard the vulnerable children and adults exploited in this activity.