A decade after authorities first identified the brutal phenomenon of 'county lines' drug dealing, the children exploited by these networks are facing devastating long-term consequences. Many are now dead, imprisoned, or suffering severe mental health crises due to the trauma they endured.
The Human Cost: Lives Shattered by Exploitation
Sky News has spoken to parents and former child runners who describe a legacy of devastation. This comes as new figures reveal the problem shows no sign of stopping. In the last year alone, police referred 3,200 vulnerable people, mostly children, to support services during a crackdown on child exploitation within these gangs. Some 1,200 gang members were arrested in the same period.
The story of 'Lucy', now in her early twenties, is tragically typical. Featured in a Sky News film in 2018, she was exploited as a runner aged 13. Her own gang set her up to be robbed on a trip from London to Southampton, then stabbed her as a punishment. She was also debt-bonded to work for free and made pregnant by a gang member.
"My paranoia just overtook me," Lucy says. "I was so paranoid all the time... constantly on edge. I was afraid of them finding me, or getting attacked again, or them making me work and feeling like a slave." The experience led to her being sectioned with severe mental health problems. She now lives in a refuge, hiding from a violent man.
Families Torn Apart and Fatal Consequences
For Amanda Stephens, the cruelty of the county lines model was revealed through her autistic son, Olly. At 13, he too was set up and robbed by his own gang on a trip to London from Reading. "Olly thought they were his friends and that's the cruelty of it all," Amanda explains. Despite his parents' efforts, Olly was lured to a field in January 2021 by a 14-year-old girl and stabbed to death by two boys aged 13 and 14.
Another parent, 'Laura', told Sky News she felt her son had been 'radicalised' into drug dealing, acting like he was 'on remote control'. Like Lucy, her son was eventually sectioned in his late teens and requires ongoing mental health support.
The grooming often starts with small, seemingly kind gestures. Sarah, who asked for her surname not to be used, says her son's involvement began aged 12 when he was offered a McDonald's meal in return for running an errand. "Every gift came at a price," she states. Gifts of trainers, bikes, and coats were tools to keep him on the streets longer and working more efficiently.
Ten years on, the impact on her son is profound. "Currently, he's serving a custodial sentence for possession with intent to sell. Mentally I think he's traumatised. Physically, he has scars from knife injuries, fractures. A face that I will never recognise, because people have broken that a couple of times."
A Persistent National Crisis
The term 'county lines' was formally identified in an August 2015 National Crime Agency report, which warned the Home Office about the exploitation of vulnerable young people to facilitate drug dealing in new locations. This model has been a key driver of the surge in knife crime among young people.
Despite receiving less recent publicity, the issue remains a major police focus. Operations in the 12 months since July 2024 closed 2,300 'deal lines' – the highest annual figure since the government's County Lines Programme began in 2019.
Rapper Still Shadey, who grew up in south London and had friends exploited by these gangs, summarises the bleak outcomes in the play 'CODE', which was inspired by Sky News' 2018 'Behind County Lines' report. "The consequences are death, prison, or the loss of your sanity," he says.
Crime and Policing Minister Sarah Jones condemned the trade, stating: "The exploitation of children and vulnerable people in this way is disgusting and cowardly. County lines gangs are also driving knife crime in our communities... We will be relentless in going after these gangs."
The government's new Crime and Policing Bill includes a 'criminal exploitation of children' offence, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, aiming to increase convictions against those who groom and exploit young people.
