May 5, 2020 11.26 am This story is over 46 months old

Six arrested in lockdown Gainsborough drugs raid

It was one of Lincolnshire Police’s largest operations in recent years
Police carried out a series of raids in the Gainsborough area during the morning of Tuesday, May 5. Photo: Lincolnshire Police

Six men were arrested after police carried out a string of early-morning raids in the Gainsborough area on Tuesday.

The men – aged 19, 20, 27, 29, 39, and 49 – were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and they remain in custody at the time of publication.

Five warrants were executed in Gainsborough and another in North Lincolnshire. It was one of Lincolnshire Police’s largest operations in recent years, which was supported by their colleagues from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit.

Kerrin Wilson, Assistant Chief Constable at Lincolnshire Police, said: “Even though we are living in unprecedented times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it does not stop our relentless pursuit of the criminality that blights communities and individual lives.

“While Lincolnshire remains a safe place to live and work, there are still some incidents which will be of understandable concern to our communities and that’s why we are taking action.

“Our Violent Crime Reduction Initiative, which was launched earlier this year, focusses on preventing further victims, safeguarding victims and bringing offenders to justice. That is why operations such as today’s are so important, because there is a strong link between drugs and violence.”

The raids were part of the force’s ongoing Violent Crime Reduction Initiative, which was launched in January and aims at reducing and preventing further offences of this type. Click here to find out more about the initiative.

In the year up to March 2020, compared to the previous 12 month period between March 2018 and March 2019, violence without injury in Gainsborough was up by 28.9%. Grievous bodily harm with intent also rose in the same period by 5.6%.