Latest news with #drugDealers
Daily Mail
04-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Moment police arrest county lines 'gang member' during dawn raid as they shut down 100 drugs networks in a week
This is the moment dozens of police officers smashed their way into a home of a suspected county lines criminal as they crackdown on 100 drug networks in a single week. Dramatic bodycam footage shows armed officers barge into a property in the Isle of Dogs, east London in a dawn raid on June 26. Loud shouts could be heard as they pile into the flat where over £5,000 worth of class B and class A drugs, as well as sports cars and luxury watches were found. The man is repeatedly told to 'relax' by police as he continues to frantically reiterate 'No fighting' and 'I'm not violent'. Altogether, that day, four men were arrested in London, with two of those detained at an address in Portsmouth as police busted a county line between Hampshire and the capital city. The fourth was taken into custody at London Gatwick airport, and charges were later made relating to these arrests. It comes as the Metropolitan Police crackdown on county lines drug networks shutting down over 100 in a single week. Between June 23 and June 29, around 301 people believed to be involved in the organised drug dealing groups, which use phone lines to siphon drugs from cities to rural areas. One hundred and eleven people have been charged so far, with over £600,000 in cash, 70kg of class A drugs, 78 dangerous weapons, including samurai swords and Zombie knives, as well as 12 firearms retrieved in the serious of raids. County lines drug dealing networks are known as a violent business model, which exploits young people, children and those with mental health and addiction issues. In a week, 260 vulnerable or young people were safeguarded in a bid to prevent their further involvement with organised crime. Detective Superintendent Dan Mitchell, from the Metropolitan Police Service and National County Lines Coordination Centre, said: 'The Commissioner recently spoke about the indisputable link between county lines and violence. Disrupting county lines is not only vital in keeping society's most vulnerable safe, but also as a key part of our mission in tackling violence. 'The criminals behind these networks are dangerous individuals, capable of manipulating and exploiting anyone to achieve their aims. 'Dedicated Met officers continue to work closely with other police forces around the UK to ensure dangerous offenders are stopped.'
The Guardian
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Chicken Town review – endearingly daft Fenland crime caper has a shedful of charm
There are echoes of Shane Meadows and the Coen brothers in this cheerful crime comedy set in the Fens in eastern England. It's endearingly daft and unexpectedly charming for a film about small-town drug dealers full of knob jokes – and contains no actual violence from criminals who are more crap than nasty. There are some sparky performances from the young cast, and it manages to pull off natural, easygoing laughs without the cringe that often seeps into British comedies. Ethaniel Davy is brilliant as Jayce, who has just been released from 10 months in a young offenders' institution – wrongly convicted for crashing a stolen car. Now that he's out, he wants answers. What everyone except Jayce knows is that it was his best mate Lee (Ramy Ben Fredj, also terrific) behind the wheel of the car. Lee is the heir to a battery-chicken farming empire with links to organised crime. His dad, Lee Sr, has just remarried and sent him to live in a caravan at the edge of the family estate. Lee Jr is thick and spoilt, an adult man with a toddler brain, but like everything in the film, rather sweet underneath it all. Meanwhile Jayce and his old schoolmate Paula (Amelie Davies) get roped into a drug deal, joining forces with retired busybody Kev (Graham Fellows). Kev has somehow (plot is not this film's strong point) ended up with a shed in his allotment full of high-quality weed. The unlikely friendship between the two kids and Kev gives the film some of its funniest lines. In Kev's front room, Paula is mesmerised by his carriage clock, a retirement present. 'Is it ironic?' she asks, genuinely curious. 'No, it's brass.' And the final moment of comedy, a scene involving a joke about Kev's 67-year-old bladder is priceless. This is a very likable film. Chicken Town is in UK cinemas from 27 June.
