County Lines: Nicole tells her story of being groomed into a drug-running gang aged 11.
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What do county lines mean?
County lines is a form of criminal exploitation. It is when criminals befriend children, either online of offline, and then manipulate them into drug dealing. The ‘lines’ refer to mobile phones that are used to control a young person who is delivering drugs, often to towns outside their home county.
Every day, children criss-cross the UK on buses and trains, ferrying drugs as part of county lines operations.
Nicole’s Story
Nicole: ‘No-one asked why I wasn’t at school’
“I have seen a lot of things, seen people get kettled with boiling water,” says Nicole. She was recruited to a drug-running gang at the age of just 11. “I’ve seen people get stabbed because of the littlest disagreement, over things like £20.”
Before she joined the gang, she was sleeping on a mattress on the floor, showering at school when she got the chance. “It finds you,” Nicole, now 18, says about county lines. “You don’t find it.”
The gang promised her a new bed, new clothes, and help for her mother to pay the bills. She says she saw her new friends with “nice trainers, nice clothes and make-up”. “I was just so jealous that I didn’t have that. And I was at the point where I would do anything to be able to get that,” she says.
Nicole transported drugs from Newcastle across the country. “I was so naïve,” she says. “I literally had an address, a date, time and a train ticket.”
Nicole was living in poverty when the gang found her
But the gang’s promises never came true. “We never got to that point of us having a bed. We never got to that point of us having new clothes.” Instead, she was initiated into a world of violence and child abuse.
On one devastating trip, Nicole was travelling south, beyond London. She says she cried in the toilets at every station she stopped at.
“When I got to the location, what was planned, didn’t happen,” she says. “I had to do a lot of things that I didn’t want to do to [get] out of that situation alive. If I hadn’t have done what I was asked to do – which was sexual, physical, mental – then I don’t think I would be here today.”
The violence she witnessed kept her working for the gang. She was told what to do and warned: “If I wasn’t doing it, I would pay for it.” But to this day, she cannot understand why no adult intervened as she travelled the country on trains and buses, alone, aged 11 and missing school.
“Not seen, not found, not asked why I wasn’t at school, not asked why I wasn’t with a mam or a dad. That is now what mostly affects me to this day,” she says. “Why someone didn’t step in any sooner?”
After two years of violence, abuse, fear and broken promises, just as she reached her lowest point, Nicole was able to grab a chance to escape.
A teacher had been offering her showers at school and paying for her meals outside of school. One day, aged 13, Nicole turned up after suffering a miscarriage.
“She noticed and she took me to the hospital. I had just had enough. I’d reached that breaking point,” Nicole says. “I can trust this person. She needs to know that I am not OK.”
Now, five years on from her escape, Nicole is studying at college to make a better life for herself. She hopes to have a house and a family, and she says she wants to be the kind of person who doesn’t look away when someone needs help. She wants to give hope to others who may still be trapped, frightened and exploited.
“I couldn’t stress to people enough that it doesn’t matter how scared you are. You are valid. Your feelings are valid. You are never that stuck,” she says.
“If you are still living and breathing, you are never stuck past the point of return. You can always end up at the better end of it. And I stand by that.”
Hearing the heartfelt story of Nicole makes the team at Genuine Futures all the more determined to support more young people to educate, mentor and support them.
Taking Action
Efforts to combat county lines involve a multi-agency approach, including youth justice, social services, and community organisations like Genuine Futures CIC. By raising awareness, providing education, and offering support to at-risk youth, we can work towards eradicating this issue and protecting our young people from exploitation.
The threat of a “lost generation” for some is quite real although according to Prof. Paul Gregg this is an exaggerated term, what we do know is that there are significant consequences.
Connect with Genuine Futures CIC
Genuine Futures CIC is dedicated to empowering young people and preventing them from falling into the trap of crime and exploitation. We offer various programs designed to build life skills, foster personal development, and provide alternative pathways to success.
Find out more about our initiatives and how you can get involved:
* Website: [www.genuinefutures.co.uk](http://www.genuinefutures.co.uk)
* Contact: hello@genuinefutures.co.uk
Join us in our mission to create a brighter future for every young person. Your support can make a significant impact in breaking the cycle of crime and unlocking the potential of our youth.
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