Police during county lines operation
(Picture: Metropolitan Police)Detectives have arrested 42 men suspected of running a £3million-a-year county lines drug dealing network in east London.
A series of dawn raids saw police seize one kilo of cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and crack cocaine, cash worth £210,000 and 10 luxury watches each valued at more than £10,000.
All those detained aged 18 to 35 are believed to play varying roles in the movement of drugs along several county lines from Hackney and Tower Hamlets into Essex and Sussex.
The arrests, which took place in the early hours of February 24 to March 3, were for offences including conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
Operation Continuum marked the culmination of two long-term and large scale investigations into organised gangs.
Some suspects were linked to shootings and stabbings carried in the capital since 2020, the Met said.
Detective Chief Inspectorâ¯Sean Lyons added: “These organised crime groups cause devastation in our communities.
“We are working with our partners to support displaced drug users and provide the assistance and treatment they need.
“Working closely with local authorities means we are tackling violence from all angles and making our communities safer.
“Our relentless activity is having an impact. Violent crime is down with data showing reductions across serious violent crime categories.
“I would like to thank DS Sam Livesey and PC Shaun Brown who led the investigation.”
Detective Inspector Tom Pearse, of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “The network came to the attention of officers following a series of firearm discharges in 2020, demonstrating the extremes the group went to in order to defend and expand their ‘territory’.
“Working in collaboration with other police forces we have removed the network in its entirety, from importation down to street level dealers - a network believed to have been making in excess of £3 million a year.
“Ultimately, it was their propensity for violence that saw the downfall of this network, with a zero tolerance approach to violence from both the Met and across our communities.
“I would like to thank Detective Sergeant Danny Cooper and Detective Constable Megan Bushell whose tenacity and commitment were crucial to this investigation’”
John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: “These raids are just the latest success of Operation Continuum, our ongoing partnership work with local police to tackle the drugs market in Tower Hamlets.
“We’re also supporting the victims of drug dealers by offering high quality drug treatment services. Following the raids, we had teams on the ground offering reassurance and supporting people to access addiction services, which will improve people’s health and help to prevent crime associated with drug taking.
“I remain committed to working with the police to target people intent on breaking the law, and making Tower Hamlets a safer borough for everyone.”
