A suspected drug dealer has been charged with multiple offences, including human exploitation, following a County Lines investigation that spanned Birmingham, Worcester, and Leicester.
Court Appearance
Lewis Read, aged 23, was due to appear before Birmingham Magistrates Court on Saturday, June 6, after being arrested as part of an operation by West Midlands Police (WMP), with assistance from Leicestershire and West Mercia Police.
Charges
Read, from Leicester, has been charged with being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine in February of this year. He also faces a charge of arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to them being exploited.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: "We’ve arrested and charged a man with various offences as part of an investigation into the supply of drugs across the Midlands. Lewis Read, 23, is charged with being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine in February of this year, as well as with arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to them being exploited."
Police Operation
The charges relate to an ongoing investigation by the County Lines Taskforce (CLTF) into a drugs operation in Birmingham, Worcester, and Leicester. The taskforce has closed more than 400 drug lines and secured sentences totaling almost 550 years in the last 12 months.
