Update - County Lines Week

Good afternoon,

Over 10k in cash seized along with illegal drugs in North Yorkshire following national week of intensification 

Suspected cocaine, crack cocaine and a quantity of cannabis were seized by us last week as part of a national week of intensification targeting county lines activity. In total, officers recovered £10,500 in cash believed to be linked to drug supply.

The week of action took place between Monday 2 and Sunday 8 March 2026. We worked alongside various partners including British Transport Police and North Yorkshire Council to deliver coordinated enforcement, safeguarding and prevention activity. Four warrants were executed at addresses across the county, and proactive patrols were increased to disrupt the movement and supply of drugs.

County Lines describes drug dealing operations that use mobile phones to coordinate supply, often exploiting vulnerable people to transport drugs from larger metropolitan areas into rural communities in North Yorkshire. As part of the planned work, a dedicated operation which focused on taxis was deployed in York and Harrogate to stop and check vehicles and identify passengers who may be transporting illegal drugs. 

Drugs are frequently run via the rail network, officers worked with British Transport Police to increase both high visibility and plain clothed patrols on trains and at stations.

In Filey, officers used a specialist drugs dog to carry out proactive patrols within licensed premises in the evening to detect illegal substances.

Those exploited to run drugs are often young people, including children. Alongside enforcement activity, educational sessions were delivered in 16 schools, reaching more than 1,800 pupils. Children’s author Christina Gabbitas spoke to many of these students, delivering her “No More Knives” and "Missing in County Lines" message and raising awareness of the risks of exploitation.

Safeguarding teams also carried out visits to protect vulnerable individuals believed to be at risk of being targeted or groomed by organised crime groups. Officers visited 26 addresses, safeguarded 10 people, and made four arrests during the week.

Chief Superintendent Fran Naughton from North Yorkshire Police said: “The use of illegal drugs causes real harm in our communities and is often the route cause to a lot of the serious and organised crime that we deal with. From enforcement and arrests to safeguarding and education, our teams and partners worked together last week to protect vulnerable people and disrupt those who seek to exploit them.

“Our work never stops, this week of intensification mirrors our daily business. We will continue to target those involved in organised crime and ensure North Yorkshire remains a hostile place for anyone looking to bring drugs into our county.