Operation Keyside: Major Crackdown on County Lines Networks

A major initiative targeting the most prolific County Lines networks operating out of Bradford has resulted in 30 arrests, a significant disruption to the networks' activities, and the safeguarding of nine vulnerable individuals, including many children. Operation Keyside, run by Bradford's Precision Team in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Service, has been using intelligence-led policing and cross-border collaboration to target organised criminality and County Lines drug supply networks across the Bradford district.

Key Takeaways:

• 30 arrests have been made as part of Operation Keyside, including 20 suspects being charged and remanded into custody.
• 18 drug dealing lines have been identified, and significant quantities of Class A drugs, including heroin and crack cocaine, have been recovered.
• 9 vulnerable people, many of them children, have been identified and safeguarded as a direct result of Operation Keyside.
• 2 men have already pleaded guilty in court, with Danyaal Khan and Ali-Hamza Kazmi facing sentencing at Bradford Crown Court on July 29.
• 6 firearms and potentially-deadly blades, including a zombie knife and a machete, have been seized.
• Cash exceeding £30,000 has been taken from the groups involved, and assets including mobile phones and other items have been recovered.
• The operation has laid the groundwork for wraparound support for those drawn into the cycle of exploitation, with preventative messaging being delivered in affected communities.
• A further arrest was made in a separate case, with Martin Tiser, 23, from Newport in Gwent, sentenced to 4 years in prison for his role in a County Lines operation.

Statistics:

• 30 arrests have been made as part of Operation Keyside.
• 18 drug dealing lines have been identified in the Bradford area.
• 9 vulnerable individuals, including children, have been identified and safeguarded as a result of Operation Keyside.
• £30,352 in cash has been seized from the groups involved.
• 153g of crack cocaine with an estimated street value of £15,310 was recovered from a bull-breed dog's kennel in a separate case.
• 31.7g of cocaine with an estimated street value of £2,220 was also recovered in the same case.
• 5 firearms and potentially-deadly blades, including a zombie knife and a machete, have been seized during Operation Keyside.

Sources:

• West Yorkshire Police
• Detective Chief Inspector Mark Atkinson
• Byline: Daryl Ames