How drug gangs involve teens in their work and how Christian parents can be alert

You’re at the station and there’s a kid in the shadows on the opposite platform. They’re maybe 14 or 15. They look nervous, keep checking their phone. An adult walks up, there’s a quick conversation, perhaps something quickly changes hands. And then the kid is gone. In those seconds, you could have witnessed one of the many children caught up in county lines.

If “county lines” means nothing to you, you’re not alone. It refers to the use of children to transport drugs, sometimes within their local area, but often from urban areas to more rural ones, like a criminal Deliveroo. The name comes from dedicated phone lines that are used to order the drugs, although these days a lot of the communication happens over messaging apps. It’s a widespread problem, with 90% of English police forces seeing county lines activity within their area. The operation is run by powerful drugs gangs who recruit victims using sophisticated methods. (For more on this go here).

As with most forms of trafficking, traffickers exploit people who are already vulnerable – but just being a child is a vulnerability in itself. According to safeguarding agency Praesidio, groomers exploit people who are looking for identity, belonging and purpose – a description that could apply to almost any teenager. Children aged 14 – 17 are the most likely to be involved in county lines, but sometimes younger children are targeted too, even those of primary school age. Children in care or excluded from school are at higher risk, but county lines also draws in suburban, middle-class children. Any child, in your family or your church, could be a target. To help protect them, it is vital to understand the problem.