Police use drug dealer's phone to warn 'middle-class' cocaine 'users' of arrest

Cocaine - PA
Cocaine - PA

Police used a county lines drug dealer's phone to message "middle-class" cocaine “users” and warn them they risk being arrested for fuelling the abuse of children.

Officers in the West Midlands seized the device during a crackdown on criminals supplying Class A drugs worth £3,000-a-day to people across Birmingham and Worcestershire in November last year.

The phone contained the mobile numbers of more than 2,000 customers who received SMS marketing updates from drug gangs. Police said they believe many of the customers will be "middle-class professionals" with "social" cocaine habits.

On Tuesday all the contacts on the phone received messages telling them their phone numbers had been identified in the investigation.

Detective Inspector Dan Rooks said: "Forensic analysis of the line – known as the Razor Line – shows the marketing messages being issued are appealing to the middle-classes that use cocaine socially as well as those who have addictions.

"Intelligence suggests vulnerable people are being exploited and groomed to carry out drug dealing on behalf of the line.

“They are taking all the risks and their exploiters are making big profits.

"We want drug users to know their cocaine habit is directly leading to the abuse of children and to urge them to take action to address their addictions. We've arrested one user already and will be paying some of these others a visit over the coming weeks.

"They need to understand that if they are fuelling county lines drug dealing they also risk arrest."