A 34-year-old woman has been charged in connection with drug and human trafficking offences following a joint operation in Aberdeen and Liverpool.
Police searched a property in the Old Aberdeen area last Tuesday as part of a county lines operation.
On the same day, a property in the Kirkdale area of Liverpool was raided.
County lines is the name given to drug dealing, whereby organised criminal groups use phone lines to move and supply drugs from cities to towns and rural villages.
Vulnerable people, including children, can be exploited and recruited to distribute the substances.
As a result of the operation, a 34-year-old woman was arrested and charged in Liverpool.
A report will now be sent to the procurator fiscal.
A 56-year-old woman was also arrested and released pending further inquiries.
‘Child exploitation and drug offences are a real threat to the country’
Inspector Claire Smith, of Police Scotland’s north east partnerships, preventions and interventions, said: “I would like to thank our colleagues at Merseyside Police and British Transport Police for assisting with this operation.
“The exploitation of children and young people into County Lines and other drug dealing activities is a very real threat nationally.
“We will continue our multi-agency work to raise awareness of the issue and to provide care and support to those affected by this type of criminality.
“If anyone has any concerns regarding the abuse of controlled drugs, or anyone who may be involved in supplying them, please contact officers on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
Detective Inspector Gary Stratton, of Merseyside Police, said these operations are crucial to ensure vulnerable people of all ages across the country are safeguarded.
He added: “The organised criminal gangs who operate these county lines groom and exploit the most vulnerable people in our communities, including children and young people, to store and sell drugs.
“The youngsters they target are intimidated, coerced, threatened and often subject to violence.
“This joint policing operation is instrumental in not only putting offenders behind bars, but identifying and safeguarding young and vulnerable people that are being exploited.
“We cannot do this without the help of our communities. It’s vital everyone who cares for or knows young and vulnerable people understands the issue, knows the warning signs and reports it to police so we can take action.”
