Lomar Meade and Delon Parkinson were arrested on Thursday after the County Lines Taskforce from West Midlands Police executed a warrant on a house in Birmingham, with class A drugs, weapons and phones being found.
Both 19-year-old Meade, of Mackadown Lane, Shard End, and 27-year-old Parkinson, of Tyburn Road, Erdington, were charged with being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine and being in possession with intent to supply.
They were also charged with facilitating the travel of person for the purposes of criminal exploitation.
"County Lines" drug smuggling is one of the leading causes of criminal exploitation in the UK, and the primary driver of Modern Slavery offences against UK nationals. Drug gangs often operate by targeting vulnerable young men and pressuring them into exploitative situations.
The two men appeared before magistrates on Saturday and have been remanded in custody to appear at Birmingham Crown Court on April 2.
A spokesman for West Midlands Police said:
"Our County Lines Taskforce executed a warrant at an address in Birmingham on Thursday, February 29 and found class A drugs, weapons and phones."
"Two men were arrested on suspicion of being involved in County Lines drug dealing. Lomar Meade, from Shard End, and Delon Parkinson, from Erdington, have since been charged with being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine, as well as possession with intent to supply."
"Both men were also charged with facilitating the travel of a person for the purposes of criminal exploitation. Meade was additionally charged with possession of criminal property. The warrants were carried out under the Modern Slavery Act and were supported by firearms officers."
For more information, see West Midlands Police's website.
