Help to stop county lines drug dealers
COMMUNITIES in Greater Manchester are being urged to help stop drug gangs damaging lives and neighbourhoods across the area.
According to the independent charity Crimestoppers, towns are being targeted by county lines drug dealers operating within Greater Manchester and exploiting vulnerable children and adults.
County lines is a term used to describe drug dealing networks often controlled by someone using a single telephone number, and they distribute illegal cash across small towns and more rural locations via vulnerable people recruited as ‘runners.’
These victims are drawn into gangs through a process of grooming, and it can be difficult for them to escape the situation they’re in.
Kemoy Walker, a youth worker in Greater Manchester, explained that ‘young people who are demotivated and young people who have given up on life’ can be drawn in to county lines related activity, and said a ‘sharp rise’ is being seen by youth workers in certain areas.
In some cases of vulnerable people being targeted, homes are also being taken over by criminals looking to set up bases in their chosen locations where exploiting others makes them less likely to be detected.
County lines drug dealing is often linked to other serious criminal offences too.
Crimestoppers, who can be contacted 100 per cent anonymously with information to tackle crime, suggest county lines drug dealers can also be linked to rises in drug supply, knife possession and firearms possession. A spokesperson for the charity said: “They prey on those who are most vulnerable, often taking over their homes to act as their base using intimidation and violence. They do not care how much damage they do to people’s lives or your community.
“Help put a stop to drug dealing and crimes that are fuelled by it, such as burglary, theft from cars, vans and shops, the sale of stolen goods, violence and the carrying of knives and fire arms.”
He said county lines criminals may take over the home of a vulnerable person to set up a base in a small town or rural area.
Known as ‘cuckooing,’ after the way cuckoos take other birds’ nests for their young, this approach is often used to target the homes of drug users, older people, those suffering from mental or physical health problems, female sex workers, single mums and people living in poverty. Vulnerable people affected could be forced to leave their homes so that gangs can sell illegal drugs from the property in their absence, causing county lines related problems to escalate further for communities.
Signs of ‘cuckooing’ could include a rise in people entering and leaving the property, or an increase in cars or bikes outside.
● Call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
They do not care how much damage they do to people’s lives and the community Crimestoppers spokesman