Wigan dad arrested after drugs found in newborn baby's pram

British Transport Police officers apprehended the 27-year-old Wiganer at Liverpool Lime Street station on May 12, when a package of cannabis was found tucked beneath the pram of his four-day-old boy.

BTP's County Lines Taskforce arrested him on suspicion of carrying a Class B drug with intent to supply.

He was released under investigation while officers carry out further enquiries. The baby has since been taken into the care of the social services.

The arrest was part of the Taskforce’s latest operation in the Merseyside area, with support from Merseyside Police.

The Taskforce works nationally, carrying out operations across England Wales and Scotland, to tackle gangs using the railway to move drugs and cash.

The railway network is used extensively by gangs moving drugs and cash.

The work of British Transport Police to remove County Lines drug dealing from the railway has continued with 140 arrests since near the beginning of restrictions in April.

Its dedicated Taskforce, started in December with Home Office funding, carries out operations across England, Wales and Scotland almost daily.

Since it began, the team has made 416 arrests, removed 38 dangerous weapons from the railway, and seized substantial amounts of drugs and illicit cash.

More than £60,000 in drugs and £108,000 of illicit cash has been seized, and deadly weapons including a ninja star and a revolver with ammunition, have been removed from the rail network.

The aim of the force is to safeguard the vulnerable children exploited by County Lines gangs who use them as mules to move drugs and cash, and to remove this type of criminal activity from the railway network.

A large proportion of those arrested by the Taskforce for drug offences are under the age of 18 and more than half are under 24 years of age.

Taskforce lead, Detective Superintendent Gareth Williams, said: “Our Taskforce is in a unique position. We are the only force that operates nationally, and it means we have a deep understanding of how this issue is impacting communities on a national scale.

“Our experience has proven that gangs who use the railway network rely on younger people to move drugs. These individuals are victims, forced through exploitation or intimidation into desperate situations, and it’s always our priority to make support available that can get them out of harm and away from crime.

“Since December, we’ve been carrying out operations on a daily basis, always based on developing intelligence that shows where gangs are operating. We get part of our information through working in partnership with other law enforcement agencies, but also importantly through the support of the rail industry who train their staff to spot signs of exploitation.

“Key indicators include a young child travelling long distances, alone with a large amount of cash, or avoiding any sort of authority at stations. These indicators are small but invaluable and help inform where we target next. There is an evolving understanding of County Lines offending and we are prepared to tackle it, wherever the intelligence leads us.”