GMP is to get extra government cash for three years to create a squad to take down county lines drugs gangs. Last year it was estimated 200 such networks were operating from the region, but that is now believed to have increased. In many children are groomed and exploited, being used as couriers.
The force has been robust in attempting to smash the lines which have been run to Cheshire, Cumbria, and even Scotland. A drugs line based in Salford, supplying crack cocaine to Warrington was taken out and members jailed recently, in a Cheshire Constabulary operation.
GMP is the fourth force get Home Office funding specifically to tackle county lines. The decision follows data analysis, The government says: "Manchester is consistently one of the top five areas in England and Wales for county lines drug activity, which is in turn linked to the flow of guns and knives into the area often used to commit violent crime."
