Gangs
'County lines' gangs use children and young people to move and sell illegal drugs.
County lines and drug dealing
'County lines' gangs use children and young people to move and sell illegal drugs.
They sometimes offer gifts like money in return for small favours like ‘keeping watch’. They then move on to bigger, more dangerous things like keeping drugs or weapons.
A young person might feel like a respected member of the gang, when they are actually being controlled. Sometimes criminals do this by saying they owe money for things they thought were gifts. The criminals will then say they are in debt and have to work to pay off the money.
County lines gangs are very dangerous and may threaten and attack rival gangs to remove them from the area.
How do I know if someone is being exploited?
If someone has injuries they don't want to talk about, has more money or expensive items or often goes missing, this may be a sign that they are being exploited. Other warning signs are suddenly having a new group of friends, more than one phone or getting anxious if they can't take calls.
If you think someone is in immediate danger, call 999. You can also call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit Fearless.org anonymously.