Thirteen people have been arrested in a series of dawn raids in Clacton, London, Colchester and Braintree today.
The raids are a culmination of a seven-month-long operation to target criminals involved in county lines drugs gangs.
Police seized class A drugs, a four figure sum of cash and a stun gun during the raids.
The term ‘county lines’ refers to the trafficking of drugs – typically crack cocaine and heroin – from major cities into smaller towns and rural areas.
Drugs gangs prey on vulnerable people, using exploitation, grooming and the threat of violence to traffick the drugs.
Police said information from the public is vitally important in helping to take this crime and exploitation off our streets.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Wells said: “A team of detectives has been working over the last seven months to gather evidence against criminals selling illegal drugs and exploiting vulnerable people in our communities.”
“Today the residents of Clacton have seen the result of that hard work as nearly 100 specialist officers forced entry to addresses in a series of ‘dawn raids’, arresting suspects and searching for drugs, cash, weapons and other evidence.”
“This operation is an example of the extensive and varied work that officers are doing every day to make Essex a hostile place for criminals who seek to sell drugs and exploit vulnerable people in our communities.”
“We are committed to doing everything we can to take robust action against these criminal groups and any other individuals who try to fill the gap left by county lines that we dismantle.”
If you know of someone who you think is being exploited by drug dealers, or you have any information which might help prevent and detect crime, please call Essex Police on 101.
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