Bedford man among 19 arrested in Herts Police County Lines drug gangs bust

Six other people have also been arrested.

Officers from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s County Lines Investigation Unit spent two weeks working closely with local Neighbourhood Policing teams, targeting those running the drugs lines.

The operation was part of a national initiative targeting County Lines drug dealing.

Addresses across Welwyn and Hatfield were raided between 17 and 26 June, with 19 people being arrested and half a kilo of class A drugs (cocaine) and four kilos of class B drugs (cannabis) seized. Eight bladed weapons and £20,000 in cash was also recovered.

Thirteen people have since been charged with various drug offences, including:

> Efrem Tesfa, aged 33, Pendennis Road, Bedford, charged with supplying or offering to supply Class A drugs (crack and heroin)

> Anthony Eves, aged 46, of Homestead Road, Hatfield, charged with supplying or offering to supply Class A drugs (crack and heroin)

> Selassi Beckford, aged 27, of Priory Close, Wembley, charged with supplying or offering to supply Class A drugs (crack and heroin) and possession with intent to supply Class A and Class B

> Charlie McKenna, aged 19, of Briars Close, Hatfield, charged with supplying or offering to supply Class A drugs (crack and heroin)

> Armani Coleman, aged 29, of Hertford Road, Stevenage, charged with supplying or offering to supply Class A drugs (cocaine)

> Darryl Daly, aged 53, of Homestead Road, Hatfield, charged with supplying or offering to supply Class A drugs (crack and heroin)

> Glen Wakefield, aged 40, of Roe Green Lane, Hatfield, charged with supplying or offering to supply Class A drugs (crack and heroin)

> Shazard Edwards, aged 25, of Littlefield Road, Edgware, charged with supplying or offering to supply Class A drug (crack and heroin) and possession of an offensive weapon

> Roland Whittaker, aged 24, of St Lukes Court, Hatfield, charged with supplying or offering to supply Class A and B drugs (cocaine and cannabis)

> Deli Smith, aged 35, of Burnt Oak Broadway, Edgware, charged with supplying or offering to supply Class A drugs (crack and heroin)

> Mohammed Ullah, aged 23, of Crawford Road, Hatfield, charged with supplying or offering to supply Class A drugs (cocaine, heroin, and cannabis) and possession of an offensive weapon

> Dwight Bibby, aged 48, of Boundary Lane, Welwyn Garden City, charged with possession with intent to supply class A drugs (crack cocaine)

> Vincent Salmon, aged 23, Cole Green Lane, Welwyn Garden City, charged with supplying or offering to supply Class A drug (cocaine and heroin)

Those arrested and bailed were:

> A 16-year-old boy from Hatfield, on suspicion of supplying class A drugs

> A 33-year-old woman from Hatfield, on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a Class B drugs

> A 40-old woman from Stevenage, on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs

> A 38-year-old man from London, on suspicion of supplying class A drugs

> A 25-year-old man from Hatfield, on suspicion of supplying class A drugs

> A 43-year-old man from Hatfield, on suspicion of supplying class A drug.

Detective Inspector Grant Finnie, from the constabulary’s Serious and Organised Crime Command, said: “The County Lines Investigation Unit have spent two weeks intensifying their investigations in the Welwyn Hatfield areas of the county. Sadly, County Lines are well known to be linked to serious violence and the team worked closely with our Neighbourhood Policing Teams for the area, whose proactive capability to target these crime types and protect the vulnerable is increasing.

"They have been targeting those running the lines themselves and profiting the most from this toxic type of crime. Officers from across the county were drafted in to ensure all suspected offenders were arrested and will face justice.

“Intensifying investigations into County Lines offenders causing the most harm reduces their ability to commit serious violence because where grounds exist, offenders are being remanded into custody and unable to use violence over issues such as territorial disputes or the enforcement of drug debts. The number of weapons seized reflects the national picture that violence follows County Lines perpetrators wherever they go. We are committed to bringing our Serious and Organised Crime capability together, with our tactical resources and Neighbourhood Policing Teams to make the best use of the intelligence available to us and this intensification work demonstrates the impact, together with our communities, that we can make.”

You can report information online at herts.police.uk/report, speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat at herts.police.uk/contact or call the non-emergency number 101.

Alternatively, you can stay 100% anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.