People using public transport over the festive period have been urged to keep an eye out for vulnerable youngsters who could be under the exploitation of drugs gangs. Young people in the grip of County Lines criminals regularly use trains and buses to travel from Nottingham to other parts of the country to sell drugs, Nottinghamshire Police said.
With an increasing number of people using public transport over the Christmas holidays, police believe it is a good opportunity to encourage travellers to report anything suspicious. County lines is the term given to the transportation of drugs between towns and cities, with the word ‘lines’ referring to the burner mobile phone lines advertising the sale of drugs to buyers.
Criminals high up in the chain are known to groom and exploit young and vulnerable people into transporting the drugs for them, often by train, with the promise of earning cash in return. Detective Chief Inspector Les Carlton, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “On a county line young people who are being exploited to deal drugs travel by public transport and by taxi to different areas outside of Nottinghamshire to sell drugs for the line.
