1,600 arrests in major operation against drug gangs in England Jim Jordan does not want to give up – even though party friends also stabbed him in the back

In a major operation against drug gangs in England and Wales, police arrested more than 1,600 suspects in one week and seized drugs worth millions.

Also seized were 1.2 million pounds of cash (about 1.3 million francs), 100 kilos of cannabis and hundreds of stabbing weapons and dozens of firearms, as the Home Office in London announced on Friday evening. More than 700 victims, including 58 minors, were brought to safety.

The gangs known as “county lines,” which sell drugs from cities to rural areas, often use minors as suppliers. They also use the apartments of so-called vulnerable people as storage places for drugs or cash. The term “province lines” refers to the telephone numbers used by dealers. Interior Secretary Suella Braverman announced she would aggressively prosecute drug trafficking.

“Our message to anyone operating provincial lines in the country is clear,” National Police Chiefs Council Commander Paul Brogden said. “We will pursue you tirelessly, we will close your provincial borders, we will keep drugs from our streets and we will rescue those you exploit.” (rbu/sda/dpa)