ARRESTS made in Grays and Aveley were among 55 made across the region in recent days as specialist police officers seized £180,000 in cash and took more than 6kg of drugs off the Essex streets as part of a week of action focused on disrupting County Lines drug supply.

County Lines Intensification Week took place across the country between 11 and 17 October. Of the 55 arrests made by Op Raptor teams in Essex, 39 people were charged, 13 people were released under investigation and three people were released without charge.

As a result of the operation work, 13 County Lines have been disrupted.

In total, police seized:

£180,000

1. 5kg of crack cocaine
2. 5kg of heroin

1. 6kg of cannabis

84 phone lines, including 9 county line phones

2 knuckle dusters,

1 sword

1 hunting knife

1 machete

10 people have been referred for safeguarding

The arrests were made across the county and into London and other parts of the East, including in Southend, Westcliff, Leigh, Basildon, Harlow, Chelmsford, Colchester, Clacton, Dagenham, Barking, Chingford, Enfield and Bedford.

Acting Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, of the Essex Police Serious Violence Unit, said: "Although our work did intensify during County Lines Intensification Week, the role our Op Raptor teams perform is very a much a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week one.

"The work they put into finding County Lines, investigating them, establishing who is behind them and then building cases against those people should not be underestimated.

"But our teams are specialists in their fields. They are experts in case building, which means our suspects will not know that an overwhelming case is quietly being built against them so they can be put before the courts."

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