Teen dealers: inside a county lines drugs den

Dr Mohammed Qasim is an academic at Leeds Beckett University researching the structure of county lines gangs in Wales. Last summer he met a drug dealer from west London, Reece*, at his flat in Swansea with two underage recruits, also from London.

Dr Qasim says: ‘Reece invited me to his flat – it was in a good area, behind security gates, with a nice view and a balcony. The kitchen was covered in pizza boxes, and at the table were two children, whom I’ll call F and G. F told me he was 15,

G, 16. Sometimes county line children supply on the streets but these two were chopping up heroin into smaller amounts to package and sell (they also cut down crack). They were reluctant to talk to me until Reece said it was OK. He had recruited them personally from west London, I believe. Each had experience of the criminal justice system – the 15-year-old had also been excluded from school in year 11, and was in conflict with his mother; the 16year-old had been involved in crime and violence and said he had wanted to start a new life elsewhere. The boys told me their families believe they have good jobs away from London – F told me he sends money to his mother. A previous young drugs runner of Reece’s stole £4,000 from him. When I asked Reece how he guards against this happening, he told me that he knows where the families of F and G live, and the boys understand that should one of them steal from him, he will threaten their families, perhaps by shooting out the windows of their homes. But while the children are doing what Reece wants, he supplies them

with a nice phone, clothes, fast food and games consoles. He pays them a few hundred pounds a month – not weekly, otherwise they might drift away. These boys package, deliver and sell drugs – they’re doing the most dangerous jobs. And if they get sent to prison, they tend to make more contacts in the drugs world and set up again when they’re released.’ DRQ How did you become involved with drugs?

G I knew Reece for a while – he was good friends with my cousin. He asked me one day what I was doing and said he had some work for me. I asked what and he explained. I was like, that sounds good.

F Reece is like an older brother to me, he looks after us.

DRQ Do you realise how serious this is? G Course we do, it’s not ice cream or something. We know what it is [laughing], we’ll get time for this shit. F I’ve been here [Swansea] for three months now, it’s boring as shit, but I’m in the flat most of the time, so it’s not too bad.

G I wrap the thing [heroin] up in smaller bags – it’s all right to be honest, it takes three hours a day. If I ain’t doing that I’m on the Xbox or speaking with my friends on the phone.

DRQ Do your parents know where you are?

G Yeah, they know I’m in Swansea but they don’t what I’m doing here [he laughs]. They think I’m working in a friend’s restaurant as a waiter. As long as I don’t get into trouble, my parents are happy for me, I guess. F My mum is probably glad that I’m not with her. We don’t really get on – the police used to be at my door almost every day, so she’s got more peace now… I wasn’t enjoying school and had been excluded loads of times for fighting, I needed to get away for a bit, to sort my head out.

G There’s no future with education, it’s all just bullshit – I can make more money away from school. One day I want to be running my own line, maybe move somewhere else, like Aberystwyth, set up my own thing. There’s loads of money in Wales from selling heroin and crack, people are desperate for this shit. Reece is saying that he will help set me up to do my own thing one day.