South Yorkshire Police: Prolific Sheffield drug dealing 'hotline' was in contact with over 2,200 phone numbers

Officers in Sheffield have shut down a prolific drug dealing phone line which was used as hotline for the sale of drugs across the city.

South Yorkshire Police's enforcement action forms part of a targeted police operation to tackle drugs supply in the London Road and Abbeydale Road area.

As part of Operation Fortify – the force's dedicated team tackling organised crime – officers applied to the County Court in Manchester for a Drug Dealing Telecommunications Restriction Order (DDTRO).

The order was applied for in 2023 in relation to a ‘county lines’ drug line known to be operating in the South West of the city and advertising Class A drugs, notably cocaine, for sale.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesperson said that over a 450-day period, the number was in contact with 2,214 numbers, showing the scale of the dealing operation being run on the phone line.

Once granted by the court, these civil orders ensure that the network provider takes down the phone line, disconnecting it from the network and ensuring the number can never again be used.

The order also prevents the phone number from being reactivated and any previous handsets the number had been connected to are disabled, so it cannot be used again.

Detective Inspector Matt Lavender explained further: “These orders are an important disruption tactic to disturb the flow of drugs. Our officers regularly seize mobile phones from suspected drug dealers, but unfortunately the numbers and associated contacts can be reactivated.

"We seized ‘burner phones’ associated with this number on several occasions, but each time, it was live on a different phone within hours. “The order allows us to take down the line and remove the phone number from circulation for good, meaning it can’t ever be reactivated on another device, depriving the dealers of the key means to sell their drugs.

“Drug dealing and the associated organised crime is a priority for South Yorkshire Police and we will continue to target dealers who cause misery in our communities.”

The order, which is the first of its kind to be approved in the area, was granted by the court and the line was taken down yesterday (February 8, 2024).