New legislation used to shut down county lines burner phone

Northamptonshire Police has made use of new legislation to prevent county lines drug dealing.

A Drug Dealing Telecommunications Restriction Order (DDTRO) provides new powers aimed at combatting the sale of illegal drugs.

A mobile phone number associated with a well-established Northampton drug line called ‘Jimmy’ has been shut down after officers from the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) made use of this pioneering legislation to target County Lines.

DDTROs force a communications provider to disconnect a communication device, disrupting and frustrating dealers’ ability to supply drugs

The powers were introduced as part of Government efforts to combat the national influx and impact of county lines which Northamptonshire Police is committed to tackling robustly, investing heavily in both enforcement of the ‘upper chain’ dealers in metropolitan areas and also working in partnership to support vulnerable drugs users in the town

Sergeant Tom Griffin from the Force’s FIB, said: “While we can’t eradicate drug supply in Northampton entirely, we will maximise all opportunities to disrupt and dismantle drugs lines.

“The ‘Jimmy’ drugs line has been in operation for several years with various ‘owners’. Many of these have been arrested and secured to custody.”