POLICE seized cash and Class A drugs as officers targeted suspects involved in County Lines operations running through Merseyside, Lancashire, Cumbria and Scotland.

Forty six people were arrested for various drugs offences yesterday (Tuesday, 25 February) as Merseyside Police was supported by British Transport Police (BTP) as well as officers from Lancashire, Cumbria and Police Scotland.

They carried out raids at addresses of those believed to be involved in County Lines drugs supply and targeted railway, bus stations and the motorway network, spanning from Merseyside to the Scottish borders.

Officers from the BTP specialist County Lines Taskforce were stationed at Liverpool Lime Street station, Wigan North Western station and Preston station as well as on board trains travelling up to Scotland.

St Helens Star:

Sniffer dogs carried out searches as part of the operation

The operation, code named “Project Medusa”, is a Merseyside-led initiative, which saw 11 warrants executed across each of the four force areas (four in Merseyside (Stockbridge Village Old Swan, Netherton and Toxteth), five in Lancashire (Preston, Morecambe, Lancaster and Blackpool), one in Cumbria (Workington) and one in Scotland (Perth).

Officers arrested 36 people on Merseyside; five from Lancashire; two in Cumbria and officers from British Transport Police arrested three people on the rail network.

Officers have also recovered significant quantities of Class A drugs, cash (more than £20,000 was recovered from one address in Liverpool) and phones. An imitation firearm was also recovered from an address in Lancashire.

The operation follows three successful Project Medusa operations conducted by Merseyside Police with other force areas including Cumbria, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Northumbria and North Wales where a number of arrests and seizures of drugs, weapons and mobile phones were carried out along with a number of stop searches.

At the end of January Home Secretary Priti Patel joined officers on Merseyside as warrants were executed and a total of 16 people were arrested and 87 stop searches were carried out around the North West and North Wales.

ACC Ian Critchley said: "We have seen considerable success through this kind of targeted action in recent months and weeks and it is vital that we keep up this level of activity. As a result of the activity yesterday 46 people were arrested for various drugs offences and five vulnerable young people were referred for safeguarding

"Those responsible for these County Lines bring misery to our local communities through their drug dealing and they also target and coerce young and vulnerable people into doing their dirty work.

"Here on Merseyside we have arrested 112 people and shutdown 32 County Lines since November last year.

"Project Medusa, hits the criminals hard, but when it comes to the young and vulnerable people, who have been criminally exploited, we ensure that they are treated sensitively and with understanding."

Home Secretary, Priti Patel, said: "I’ve seen first hand the vital work the police are doing to disrupt county lines gangs and it’s great to see them continuing to deliver these impressive results.

“The police will always have my full support, and we will continue to bolster their ranks with 20,000 extra police officers.

“I will not tolerate these abhorrent gangs that exploit children and vulnerable people and we will do everything in our power to tackle this issue head on.”

Anyone with information which could assist our investigation into County Lines criminality can DM @MerPolCC, call 101 or contact the Crimestoppers line anonymously on 0800 555 111.