County Lines.

County Lines.

Good afternoon,

County lines is the name given to drug dealing where organised criminal groups (OCGs) use phone lines to move and supply drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.

They exploit vulnerable people, including children and those with mental health or addiction issues, by recruiting them to distribute the drugs. This is often referred to as ‘drug running’. Criminals may also use a vulnerable person’s home as their base of operations. This is known as ‘cuckooing’.

Signs to look out for

There are several signs to look out for that may indicate someone is involved in county lines:

repeatedly going missing from school or home and being found in other areas

having money, new clothes or electronic devices and they can't explain how they paid for them

getting high numbers of texts or phone calls, being secretive about who they're speaking to

decline in school or work performance

significant changes in emotional or physical well-being

Social media

Criminal networks use social media to groom and recruit children for county lines. They may send them direct messages (knowns as ‘DMs’), or share messages to wider groups as ‘stories’ or ‘posts’.

Ways OCGs use social media

advertising drugs through photos, emojis, and price lists

posting statuses that show money, new drugs or when a dealer is open for business

dealers sharing ‘stories’ to followers, and using social platforms to expand their network with ‘suggested’ friends

tricking people with ‘fast cash’ scams, which is often referred to as ‘squares’. Victims may end up working for no little or no money, which is known as ‘debt bondage’

advertising for ‘workers’ or ‘runners’ to recruit people into county lines activity

using hashtags linked to drugs

using emojis as code for drug, violence and sexual activities, eg the snowflake emoji (for buying cocaine), 8-ball emoji (for buying an eighth of an ounce) or the rocket emoji (for purity of drugs)

Cuckooing

OCGs often use high levels of violence and intimidation to protect the ‘county line’ and control them. One of these forms of control exploits vulnerable people by using their home as a base for dealing drugs, a process known as cuckooing. Dealers often convince the vulnerable person to let their home be used for drug dealing by giving them free drugs or offering to pay for food or utilities.

Often OCGs target people who are lonely, isolated, or have addiction issues. It's common for OCGs to use a property for a short amount of time, moving address frequently to reduce the chance of being caught.

For more information, including signs to look out for, read our guide on cuckooing.

Missing persons linked to county lines

Children and young people involved in county lines may go missing or be out of touch for long periods. During these times, they may be at risk of harm or violence.

If you are reporting a child as missing, you should look out for signs they may be getting exploited. You should note:

transport they may be using

people they may be with

people they may be in contact with

You can seek additional support from Missing People's SafeCall service, which is dedicated to those impacted by county lines.

Report it

Is it an emergency?

Call 999 now in emergency situations like these:

a child, or anyone else, is in immediate danger

someone is using violence or is threatening to be violent

a crime is happening right now

Hearing or speech impairments

If you’ve pre-registered with the emergencySMS service, use our textphone service 18000 or text us on 999.

Call 999 BSL to use a British Sign Language interpreter.

Silent 999 calls

If you're in danger but you can't talk on the phone, you should still call 999, then follow these instructions.

If it's not an emergency

Report online

If you’re concerned about drug-related crime in your area or think someone may be a victim of drug exploitation, report it online.

Phone 101, Crimstoppers on 0800 555 111 or reply to this message.

Reply to this message

Message Sent By
Andy Smith
(North Yorkshire Police, Police Community Support Officer, Hambleton)