Police have arrested 35 people and seized £28,000 worth of drugs in a crackdown on “county lines” trafficking in Hampshire.  

The weeklong operation was organised by the National Crime Agency and involved police forces across the country. 

It involved stop searches and using drug dogs at Isle of Wight terminals to check people going to and from the island. 

Police recovered over £12,000 in cash. 

Superintendent Matthew Reeves said: “County Lines isn’t isolated to large UK cities, this is a real issue which is affecting Hampshire along with other areas in the country. 

“It’s not only the obviously vulnerable who are groomed for county lines. Young people from all backgrounds have been groomed for transporting and dealing drugs”. 

County lines drug trafficking is when criminal gangs from big cities such as London and Manchester move their drugs to smaller towns. Expanding the area of their activities in order to make money.  

Drug traffickers often use a single phone line to run the operation and can use young people as mules to move the drugs across the country. 

According to the National Crime Agency the number of lines has more than doubled since 2017 to around 2,000, with the bulk of vulnerable people involved being 15-17 year old children.

A police crackdown on drug driving over Christmas has seen arrests surge by almost a third in Hampshire.

The operation saw 74 arrests for drug driving in Hampshire – a 28% increase from the previous year. This figure is three times higher than just two years ago.

Road Safety Sergeant Rob Heard said that drink and drug drivers were being “complacent about the realities of road deaths and serious injuries”.

He added that “such behaviour on our roads has far-reaching effects not just for the impaired driver, but for any innocent road users affected by their destructive decisions”.

“Our message is simple – don’t mix drink or drugs with driving, they may stay longer in your system than you think – it’s not worth the risk.”

Operation Holly is a month-long joint operation by the Hampshire and Thames Valley police departments. It takes place between December 1st 2018 and January 1st 2019.

More than 280 drivers were tested for drugs during the joint operation. Half of which showed a positive result. With 17-24 year olds being the worst offenders.

Over 4,200 breath tests by road police across the two areas with 155 over the limit. The worst offending drink driving age group were 35-49 years.

In total 666 impaired drivers were arrested.

Emile Cilliers, 37, on the left, arriving at Winchester Crown Court.

Army sergeant Emile Cilliers, 37, is accused of two counts of attempted murder against his wife; Victoria Cilliers.

First by causing a gas leak in their marital home and secondly by sabotaging her parachute before she went skydiving.

Emile Cilliers denies all of the charges.

The jury were sent out to begin deliberation on Tuesday 14th November.

Throughout the trial which is in its sixth week, prosecuting QC Michael Bowes presented texts and emails between Mr Cilliers and the three different women he was seeing. These messages showed him lying in order to carry on these affairs.

The prosecution claimed that these messages showed he was “coercive, abusive, callous, contemptuous” towards Victoria and that he “took advantage” of her “financially to support his excessive spending habits”.

The defence said Mr Cilliers was being portrayed as a “pantomime villain” and that despite his “financial incontinence”, “self indulgent spending habits”, his affairs and his admitted habitual lying, he was a good father who cooked for his family and did DIY around the house.

Michael Bowes, prosecuting, claims Mr Cilliers’ motives were to get rid of private debt he had with Victoria, to receive a £120,000 life insurance payment from her death, and lastly to carry on his affair with Stefanie Goller, whom he met on Tinder.

Elizabeth Marsh QC, for the defence, said the methods Mr Cilliers supposedly used showed a “lack of preparation” for someone who would be killing for money.

Lastly, in response to Mr Cilliers’ repetitive lies, Ms Marsh QC said “lies that fan the flames of lust are not motive for murder”.

The jury, consisting of nine women and three men continue to deliberate at Winchester Crown Court.