West Midlands Police shuts 418 drug lines, jails dealers for 545 years

Over 400 county lines drug networks have been dismantled across the West Midlands, with 89 criminals sentenced to a combined 545 years in prison.

West Midlands county lines crackdown yields 418 closures and £500,000 seized

More than 400 drug lines have been shut down across the West Midlands, with the dealers responsible jailed for a combined total of 545 years, bbc.co.uk reports.

West Midlands Police's county lines taskforce carried out hundreds of arrests between April 2025 and March 2026, recovering almost £500,000 under the Proceeds of Crime Act. In total, 418 drug lines were closed and 89 criminals imprisoned.

Among those convicted were two dealers operating the "Frankie" Class A line, which supplied Birmingham city centre, Balsall Heath, Moseley and Selly Oak. The phone number linked to that line received more than 81,000 calls, made 28,000 calls, and exchanged 25,000 text messages between August 2023 and October 2024.

Police say dealers routinely use dedicated phone lines to send mass messages to potential customers, advertising drug availability and prices. In some cases, vulnerable individuals — including children and people with mental health or addiction problems — are exploited to distribute the drugs.

The taskforce worked alongside neighbourhood teams across the force's seven local policing areas to gather intelligence and dismantle supply networks.

Detective Inspector Mark Robinson said the taskforce would continue to "target, disrupt and destroy" this type of criminal activity.

"We are committed to shutting down drug networks and putting those who run them behind bars," Robinson said. "It's very clear the taskforce is making a real impact in tackling the scourge of drugs which not only ruin lives, but also contribute to other crimes to fund habits."

Robinson added that hundreds of lines had been closed and dealers removed from the streets "for a long time".

Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)