The UK-wide operation, detailed by the National County Lines Coordination Centre, saw 335 county lines closed, with seizures including 10,500 wraps of class A drugs, 15,000 cannabis plants, and £1.5 million in cash. According to the centre, the number of county lines across the UK has risen from 4,503 in 2020/21 to 6,544 in 2024/25. This crackdown underscores the pervasive reach of drug networks that exploit vulnerable individuals, including children, for distribution.
In Scotland specifically, police made 43 arrests as part of a month-long crackdown on county lines gangs, seizing drugs worth £900,000 including crack cocaine, heroin, and ketamine. During this operation, 38 vulnerable people were safeguarded, who were being exploited by England-based crime groups. Police in Inverness report that 12 crime groups are involved in county lines dealing there, running drugs from Liverpool, London, and the Midlands.
Separately, a major people smuggling network accused of transporting around 1,000 migrants into the UK has been disrupted with coordinated arrests across Britain and Europe. According to Europol, the network arranged more than 200 crossings from France to the UK, transporting over 1,000 migrants and generating an estimated €50 million in turnover. Migrants were charged up to €50,000 for the full journey from Vietnam to Britain, with £8,000 to £10,000 for the final leg from France to the UK.
In Australia, a group of prominent racing identities has been charged over an alleged billion-dollar cocaine smuggling conspiracy, according to police claims. Detectives allege the operation involved 'mother ships' and 'daughter vessels' to import drugs, with attempts to retrieve 600kg to 3.5 tonnes of cocaine. Authorities say none of the alleged import attempts were successful, and no drugs were ultimately imported.
In the UK, police arrested a gang that smuggled up to 20 Albanians into the country, while also smashing an organized crime gang supplying 'smuggling kits' including inflatable boats and engines to Channel traffickers. The smuggling kits were priced at between £9,000 and £17,000 and sold to people smuggling rings for Channel crossings.
Internationally, 17 people were arrested in Belgium, France, and Germany for providing smuggling equipment, with each package sold for between 10,000 and 20,000 euros on the black market. Meanwhile, an all-female gang at the heart of a major cocaine trafficking operation that supplied drugs worth £13.6 million in four months has been jailed in the UK. This network used encrypted messaging, secret passwords, and last-minute drop-off points to evade capture.
In Wick, Scotland, cannabis with an estimated street value of £7.1 million has been discovered at a derelict former school, following a Police Scotland–led investigation supported by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary. On Thursday, 29 January 2026, officers acting on intelligence executed a warrant at a building on West Bank Avenue.
At the Wick site, a sophisticated cannabis cultivation was discovered, including more than 5,900 cannabis plants and dried cannabis, with the dried cannabis alone estimated to have a street value of £456,000. Seven individuals have been arrested and charged in connection with the matter, with three individuals – two men aged 44 and 27 and a 17-year-old male youth – appearing at Wick Sheriff Court on Friday, 30 January 2026.
The Civil Nuclear Constabulary provided specialist support to the Wick operation, including the deployment of trained officers and a general purpose police dog from its Dounreay Operational Policing Unit. According to the CNC, this support was provided without detriment to its core policing role of protecting the UK’s civil nuclear sites and safeguarding nuclear material, which remained fully resourced throughout.
In Scotland, Operation Lockstream saw police engage with more than 660 people travelling in and out of the country using airports, roads, and ferry terminals across three days of action which began on Tuesday, February 24. At Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports, 78 flights were met, with a key aim being to safeguard vulnerable people at risk of exploitation.
Over the course of Operation Lockstream, £7,000 worth of cash was seized, and four people were arrested in connection with drugs, road traffic and immigration offences. Police Scotland officers worked closely with partners from the National Police Chief’s Council, Border Force, Home Office Immigration, His Majesty's Revenue and Customs, and the Scottish SPCA during the operation.
In Sweden, police, customs, and coast guard collaborated in an operation in Oxelösund, with the purpose being to strengthen cooperation between authorities and increase the ability to maintain order and security in the heavily trafficked ports in the region. Approximately 150 vehicles and five ships were checked during the operation.
After the Oxelösund operation, traffic fines, suspicion of drug crime, and a minor seizure of cigarettes were reported.
In Nottingham, a grocery store owner was arrested on suspicion of masterminding a £40 million international cigarette smuggling network, with over 40 tonnes of illegal cigarettes worth around £40 million seized in the investigation.
Regarding county lines gangs, police seized nearly 1,000 knives in one year from groups that recruit children, with forces believing they have prevented 800 stabbings over one year based on a fall in hospital admissions. In 2025, 2,740 county lines were closed and 1,657 gang leaders charged.