A crackdown on county lines activity across Staffordshire has seen 15 people charged.
Officers launched a campaign between 4th and 11th March in a bid to tackle the organised crime groups exploiting vulnerable people to act as runners to transport drugs between different locations.
The enforcement action saw 34 arrests and 15 people charged, while ten vulnerable individuals were also safeguarded.
Detective Superintendent Nicki Addison said:
“Tackling organised crime is something which needs to happen as a collective, not just as a police force.
“We need people to tell us if they’ve seen something suspicious or they think someone is being coerced into crime so we can work with our partners to safeguard the vulnerable and go after those responsible.
“I want to reiterate that taking down organised criminals is something we work on every single day of the year. We’ve put a massive amount of work into gathering intelligence, searching the addresses you’re concerned about and robustly targeting those involved across the intensification week.
“The dedicated disruption teams and proactive officers that are looking out for our most vulnerable each and every day and committed to building on these successes and continuing to take down organised criminals across Staffordshire.
“I’d like to thank the local people and businesses who have helped us to build a robust intelligence picture and act on important information that has led to the most arrests in a county lines intensification week to date.
“I hope that shows how vital it is that people continue to tell us about their concerns. Only by working together can we continue to help those who need it most and put a stop to those destroying people’s lives for profit.”
Detective Superintendent Nicki Addison
The week-long campaign also saw more than £17,000 of crack, heroin and cocaine seized along with £2,460 in cash and 1,185 cannabis plants.