Families feel a "bereavement" as children as young as nine are exploited by drug gangs operating far-reaching county lines.
Organised crime groups (OCGs), who "have no hesitation to use violence to achieve their aims", are exploiting Merseyside's vulnerable children and sending them on dangerous drug supply missions across the UK. County lines is the name given to a form of drug dealing, where gangs use phone lines to move and supply drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.
This exploitation is not a new problem that police in the North West of England are facing, however. Merseyside is the area with the highest county lines exportation in the country - and since 2019 Merseyside Police has had a specialist taskforce, Operation Medusa, tackling the illicit activity wreaking havoc in local communities.
