Hertfordshire Constabulary have arrested five people during an operation targeting an organised crime group in Hemel Hempstead.
The operation was led by Hertfordshire’s specialist county lines team, Operation Mantis, and supported by units from the Dacorum Neighbourhood Policing and Scorpion teams, the Operational Support Group and the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU).
A series of warrants were conducted in Hemel Hempstead yesterday (Wednesday, October 30), resulting in five people being arrested. Class A drugs, mobile phones, bladed weapons and cash were seized during the operation.
Those arrested and charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs were Kayne Stewart, 24, of no fixed address; Michael Heron, 42, of Bohemia, Hemel Hempstead; and a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy, both from Hemel Hempstead.
Shannon Wiltshire, 28, of Livingstone Walk, Hemel Hempstead, was also arrested and charged with possession of class B drugs and released on police bail in relation to possession with intent to supply class A drugs.
Detective Sergeant Chris Cowell, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Serious and Organised Crime Command, said: “This operation targeted the ‘Mayfair’ drug line, which was operating in the Hemel Hempstead area.
“We will continue to take a very proactive approach to targeting drug dealing in the county, working with our partners in other agencies to make it difficult for these crime groups to operate, preventing new gangs becoming established and targeting them early before they get a foothold and serious offences can occur.”
The Operation Mantis team was launched in 2018 and is made up of officers who specialise in targeting serious and organised crime. Since May 2019, the team has executed hundreds of search warrants, carried out more than 460 arrests and seized over £620,000 in cash.
This has led to numerous county lines gangs, which are urban gangs expanding out to towns and rural areas, being dismantled, with offenders sentenced to more than 790 years in prison in total.
You can report information about drug crime online www.herts.police.uk/report or speak to an operator in the Force Communications Room via www.herts.police.uk/contact. You also call the non-emergency number 101. If a crime is in progress, call 999.
If someone you know has a drug problem, they can get help by contacting Frank on 0800 77 66 00 or visiting www.talktofrank.com
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