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Transport used in County Lines exploitation
County Lines is a term used for organised illegal drug-dealing networks, usually controlled by a person using a single telephone number or ‘deal line’.
Serious organised criminals recruit young people or vulnerable adults to move illegal drugs both locally and across the country - often using the rail network, and taxis or other private hire vehicles.
Find out more about the crimes of County lines and cuckooing
What to do you if you have information about a crime or crimes
In an emergency, or if a crime is happening now, always call the police on 999.
You can speak to our Contact Centre on 0800 555 111 or use our non-traceable online form here on our website. You will remain 100% anonymous. Always. We will never ask for your name, and your phone call or online report will never be traced.
Give information 100% anonymously - Call 0800 555 111 or click here for our online form
Railways
If you’re a train driver, ticket inspector or a member of train station staff, you can help make our transport network a safe space for young people. Is a child, young person or vulnerable adult using your transport displaying any of these signs:
- Doesn’t have the relevant ticket or fare to travel - may be an indicator of exploitation?
- Appears anxious, frightened, angry, aggressive, or displaying other behaviours that make you worried about them?
- Looks unfamiliar or uncomfortable with their surroundings?
- Appears unsure about where they are travelling to?
- In communication with or accompanied by a peer or adult/s who appears to be controlling and determining where they are travelling to?
- Spends a long time in a transport hub and appears unsure about leaving?
- Makes frequent trips or spends long period of time in the toilet during their journey?
- Appears to be avoiding being seen by transport staff or police in the area?
- Travels at unusual hours (such as during school hours, early in the morning, or late at night) and/or to multiple destinations in one day or night?
- Pays by cash for an expensive journey?
- Shows signs of neglect, possibly indicating they have been staying somewhere unsanitary or unsafe?
- Uses language that you suspect relates to criminal activity?
- Receives frequent calls and messages that they appear anxious to respond to promptly?
If it doesn’t feel right, then it’s probably not right, so please report your concerns.
- Dates and times.
- Journey – routes of travel.
- Names, nicknames and/or addresses you may hear or see.
- Descriptions of those involved and any distinguishing features, e.g. tattoos.
- If children/young person – appearance, behaviour concerns.
- Any road vehicles involved – make, model, colour, and registration.
Taxis and other private hire vehicles
Children travelling in taxis or private hire vehicles may be being exploited by gangs involved in drug crime.
If your customer is a child (or children), sometimes as young as 12, travelling alone:
- Are they travelling during school hours or unusual hours (early in the morning, late at night)?
- Do they seem unfamiliar with the local area, or not have a local accent?
- Are they travelling a long distance?
- Are they paying for these journeys in cash?
- Does the child or children seem to know where they are? Or do they look out of place and uncomfortable.
If it doesn’t feel right, then it’s probably not right, so please report your concerns.
Drug dealers often take over the home of a vulnerable person or rent a short term let property or similar - this is then used to store and process illegal drugs, and to run the drug phone line from. This is known as 'cuckooing', and you can find out more about it here.
It’s common for gangs to have access to several addresses. They move quickly between vulnerable people's homes, staying for just a few hours, a couple of days or sometimes longer. This helps gangs evade detection.
Signs to be aware of:
- Customers appearing to make a drug deal on the phone whilst in your taxi, or dealing drugs (you witnessing the exchange of money for drugs) outside of your taxi.
- The customer appearing unfamiliar with their surroundings and/or the property they are leaving or arriving at.
- Using a taxi for a short journey to carry out an exchange, i.e. money for drugs.
- New and regularly changing residents (e.g different accents compared to local accent), and/or new faces appearing at the property.
- Signs of drugs use at the property.
- Curtains closed all times of the day.
- Possible increase in anti-social behaviour near to or around the property.
- Preferring to pay with cash.
- One customer appearing to ‘control’ another (usually younger or vulnerable).
- Customer having access to numerous phones and/or receiving a large number of phone calls or texts.
- Customers regularly visiting a potentially-cuckooed property (e.g. to drop off drugs, collect money or checking in on drugs/criminal activity taking place inside).
- Dates and times.
- Journey – from where to where.
- Names, nicknames and/or addresses you may hear or see.
- Descriptions of those involved and any distinguishing features, e.g. tattoos.
- If children/young person – appearance, behaviour concerns.
- Any road vehicles involved – make, model, colour, and registration.
Be aware of recruitment
Recruitment of young people into County Lines activity can happen anywhere, with young people being targeted at fast food outlets, shopping centres and parks to online platforms and gaming sites. Young people are also known to self-recruit, contacting the criminals directly, usually online.
Some serious organised criminals have exploited taxi drivers/private hire drivers to transport their ‘runners’, drugs and/or money. The incentive is usually the offer of easy cash-in-hand money in exchange for transportation. This working relationship often also includes coercion, intimidation, violence, and weapons.
What to do you if you have information about a crime or crimes
The National Crime Agency advise that you trust your instincts. Even if someone isn't involved in County Lines drug dealing, they may be being exploited in some other way, so it's always worth speaking out.
In an emergency, or if a crime is happening now, always call the police on 999.
You can call the British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 or text them on 61016.
If you are a young person who is worried about your involvement, or a friend's involvement in County Lines, a good option is to speak to an adult you trust and talk to them about your concerns.
To give information, you can speak to our Contact Centre on 0800 555 111 or use our non-traceable online form here on our website. You will remain 100% anonymous. Always. We will never ask for your name, and your phone call or online report will never be traced.
Give information 100% anonymously - Call 0800 555 111 or click here for our online form
Useful links
- Victim Support is an independent charity in England and Wales that provides specialist practical and emotional support to victims and witnesses of crime.
- #LookCloser is a partnership campaign between The Children’s Society, the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre and the British Transport Police, encouraging everyone to learn the signs of child exploitation and how to report it if worried, including here on our anonymous online form. The campaign also seeks to highlight that child exploitation can happen anywhere, and any young person can be a victim. Find out more at the campaign webpage.
- Childline - 0800 1111. A private and confidential service where you can talk to specially-trained counsellors about anything that is worrying you.
- Catch 22 work with children and young people of any age to help get them out of situations they're worried about, and have helped lots of children and young people involved in County Lines.
- St Giles offers practical and emotional support, and specialist services to help young people make a safe and sustained exit from County Lines involvement.
- For more advice on drugs, their effects and the law, talk to Frank.
