County Lines

1. Introduction

1.1 Definition of county lines

In its Serious Violence Strategy, the UK government defines county lines as:

“A term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs into one or more importing areas within the UK, using dedicated mobile phone lines or other form of “deal line”. They are likely to exploit children and vulnerable adults to move and store the drugs and money and they will often use coercion, intimidation, violence (including sexual violence) and weapons.”

1.2 Forms and methods of county lines exploitation

Forms and methods of county lines exploitation range from the unsophisticated to the highly organised. In all cases, there will be a power imbalance, which the perpetrators will use to force, coerce, groom and/or entice victims into compliance.

The forms and methods of exploitation include, but are not limited to:

• Offering an exchange – carrying drugs in return for something, such as money, clothes, drugs, status, protection or perceived friendship, a sense of belonging or identity, or affection;
• Physical violence or threats of violence – used to intimidate and punish victims and their families and can involve weapons, including knives and firearms;
• Abduction or kidnapping – sometimes victims are forcibly moved and held in a location away from home;
• Emotional abuse or psychological coercive control – by manipulating, threatening, controlling or monitoring the movements of the victim;
• Sexual abuse and exploitation – this can be experienced by all genders;
• Blackmail – by forcing victims to commit a crime so they can hold it over them and threaten to report it if they do not comply;
• The use of social media, messaging apps, gaming sites and other online platforms – including marketplace websites and smart TVs to target and communicate with victims. These modes are used by exploiters to falsely build online trusted relationships, or to post fraudulent job adverts which seem legitimate, or to cyberstalk victims in order to groom, entrap and coerce them into county lines activity;
• “Cuckooing” (also known as “forced home invasion”) – a tactic used to take over the homes of vulnerable individuals, such as care leavers or those with addiction, physical or mental health issues, and use the property as a base for criminal activity. This is a common characteristic of the county lines business model and can occur in a range of settings such as rental and private properties, student accommodation, prisons, and commercial properties;
• Coerced internal concealment (also known as “plugging”) – the practice whereby a victim is controlled or coerced into concealing drugs internally as a method of transportation to avoid detection. Drugs or sim cards are usually concealed within a condom or similar packaging and inserted into a bodily orifice (rectum or vagina) using lubricant, or swallowed;
• Debt bondage – a form of entrapment when a victim owes money to their exploiters and is made to repay their debt, either financially or through another means such as transporting drugs. The exploiter may groom the victim by initially providing money or goods which the victim will then be made to pay back. The exploiter may also deliberately manufacture a debt, for example by staging a robbery of drugs or cash in the victim’s possession in order to extort money from families or to ensure the victim will continue to perform tasks for them. The debt may also be inherited from parents and siblings; and
• Financial exploitation – victims are coerced, controlled, manipulated, or deceived into facilitating the movement of illicit funds. This can include physical cash and/or payments through financial products, such as bank and cryptocurrency accounts.

2. Vulnerability Factors

Anyone can be a victim of county lines exploitation, although most victims are between the age of 15-17 years.

There are some factors that are known to increase vulnerability. This is because they can give rise to the power imbalance that perpetrators need to exploit victims:

• Having contact with the criminal justice system – even for minor offences that do not appear to be related to county lines;
• Having experience of neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse/exploitation or a lack of a safe/stable home environment, now or in the past (including domestic abuse, parental substance misuse or parental criminal involvement) – trauma, including adverse childhood experiences, can negatively impact on a victim’s ability to develop trusted relationships or access support services;
• Social isolation or social difficulties – the lack of a support network can mean someone is less able to get help;
• Economic vulnerability – offers of material possessions or money for victims or their family may be more readily accepted out of a feeling of necessity and lack of legitimate financial alternatives;
• Homelessness or insecure accommodation status – there is a lack of a safe environment to provide security and privacy;
• Connections with other people in gangs – some victims are targeted through family or friends who are already involved in criminal activity themselves and sometimes a drug debt owed by them is passed on to peers or family members;
• Having a physical or learning disability, or being neurodivergent – victims may be less able to recognise they are being exploited, or less able to communicate it or access support;
• Having mental health issues – exploiters may target poor emotional wellbeing or low self-esteem;
• Having substance misuse issues – victims are sometimes given substances in lieu of payment;
• Being in or leaving care – the context behind why a person is brought into care can heighten vulnerability in itself, while those in semi- independent/independent accommodation, placed out-of-area or leaving care may have less access to support networks;
• Insecure immigration status – refugees may have a number of vulnerability factors that can increase their exposure to exploitation, including social/cultural isolation on arrival to the country and potentially links to organised crime from their journey.

Note: On occasion, a victim will have no known vulnerability factor prior to being exploited. As such, assumptions should not be made that someone without a vulnerability cannot be a victim.

3. Indicators

In many cases, victims will not disclose or admit that they are being exploited:

• They may not recognise that they are being exploited:
• They may not be able to express that they are being exploited;
• They may be too afraid to disclose the exploitation.

This means that to ensure an appropriate and timely response, professionals need to be aware of the potential indicators.

Indicators of county lines exploitation can include, but are not limited to:

• Going missing from home, an unwillingness to explain their whereabouts and/or being found in areas they have no obvious connections to;
• Self-harm or significant changes in emotional wellbeing, personality or behaviour;
• Anti-social behaviour or involvement in other criminality;
• Use of drug or county-lines related slang (see below);
• Unexplained acquisition of money, clothes, or mobile phones;
• Excessive receipt of text/phone calls and/or having multiple sim cards or handsets;
• Carrying or storing weapons;
• Misuse of substances or possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia such as discarded needles, scales, small snappy bags or cling film;
• Possession of train tickets for unusual journeys;
• Possession of a rucksack or bag that they are very attached to or will not put down;
• Relationships with controlling individuals or groups;
• Isolation from usual social networks;
• Suspicion of or actual physical assault – including minor injuries issued as a threat (e.g., cigarette burns or small cuts) and serious injuries, such as stab wounds;
• Spending increased amounts of time online day and night;
• Building inappropriate relationships online or appearing anxious or secretive about online activity and who they are communicating with;
• Unexpected or excessive sharing of personal information online;
• Experiencing bullying, harassment or threats online;
• Receiving or sending money, gifts etc. to someone online;
• Unfamiliar individuals coming and going from the property at all hours;
• Increase in loitering in the area around the property or takeaway deliveries at unusual hours;
• Increase in noise or disturbance levels, including late - night parties, arguments, littering etc;
• Damage to the property, such as broken windows and doors;
• Threats or intimidation to other residents or neighbours;
• Receiving large or unexplained sums of cash or deposits;
• Making unusual financial transactions they cannot explain;
• Asking for money or stealing money/items;
• A new preoccupation with earning money;
• Unexplained opening of new bank accounts.

If an adult is being coerced into concealing drugs internally, they may also be physically unwell, refuse to eat or drink, have stained clothing or be in possession of items they cannot explain, such as lubricants, condoms and cling film.

Note: Any sudden change in an adult’s lifestyle could be an indicator of exploitation and a prompt for a conversation.

4. Response

If the adult appears to be at immediate risk of harm, the situation should be treated as an emergency and the police alerted using 999.

The adult may also require medical attention, if there are signs of a physical injury or a negative side effect of internal concealment.

If the adult is not at immediate risk of harm, the police should still be alerted to the concerns as county lines is a crime. If the adult appears to have a need for care and support (or if this is unclear at the time that a concern is identified), a safeguarding concern should also be raised.

If there is a risk that the adult may also be a victim of modern slavery, the benefit of a referral to the National Referral Mechanism should also be considered.

For further guidance see: Modern Slavery.

4.1 Ways of working

Adults that are the victims of county lines exploitation are likely to have had traumatic experiences, even if they do not recognise them as such. Responses from a trauma informed perspective should always be considered, and the adult made central to the safeguarding process and any decisions that are made.

Use professional curiosity – bring together all evidence sources and actively seek different perspectives and professional inputs to build a picture of the whole story.

For further information see: Professional Curiosity.

A multi-agency response is key to working to address concerns around county lines exploitation. It is vital that practitioners recognise, and by working partnership, identify tactics to disrupt multiple types of exploitation.

Where county lines exploitation has taken place across different geographical areas, it is important that agencies from all areas work together and co-operate to reduce risk and provide the most appropriate support.

The response should be aware of and consider Violence Reduction Units and other commissioned services available locally and nationally that can deliver specialist services to support adults.

5.1 Further Information and Guidance

5.1 Related chapters

The following are all related chapters in this manual:

Cuckooing (Forced Home Invasion)

Mate Crime

Financial Abuse

Exploitation: Modern Slavery

Exploitation: Sexual Exploitation

5.2 Further information and guidance

The following website link brings together all government guidance and promotional material related to county lines:

Criminal exploitation of children and vulnerable adults: county lines.

Debt Bondage in a Criminal Exploitation and County Lines Context (The Children’s Society).