EXCLUSIVE I got recruited by a county lines gang when I was just nine-years-old - I saw friends kidnapped and was repeatedly threatened with guns and knives - but I never thought I was being exploited
A boy who was recruited by a vicious county line drugs gang at the age of just nine today reveals his harrowing story.
The youngster, who lives in north-west England but asked to remain anonymous to avoid reprisals, said he was persuaded into joining the gang by an older member he considered his 'best mate'.
At points, they made £2,000 a day smuggling cocaine and cannabis on trains using child couriers, with pupils in school uniform targeted for recruitment because they were considered less suspicious.
The boy tells MailOnline of being repeatedly threatened with guns and knives by rivals and seeing a friend being kidnapped.
Yet, given his age, he says he never realised he was being exploited until he managed to leave the gang after eight years.
Now safe and in full-time work, his testimony is a rare insight into the inner workings of a county lines gang and the tactics they use to groom vulnerable youngsters.
Nearly 3,000 children were involved in county lines in the year up to March 2024, according to the latest official figures. The term refers to urban gangs moving drugs to suburban or rural areas in order to expand their market.
'I was nine when I first got involved,' said the boy, who is helping social care provider Next Stage Youth Development train professionals to spot the signs youngsters may be involved in county lines.
'My dad had left and I felt like it was on me to provide for my mum and my sisters. It all started with my best mate. He was a bit older, someone I looked up to - he always had the nice trainers, always had a bit of cash and never seemed worried .
'One day, he just said to me, ''Let's run our own line''. And when you're young and desperate to help your mum, that doesn't sound like a trap – it sounds like an opportunity.
'At first, it was just the two of us, we'd make calls, sort the gear, hit the road, cook it up and move it, day in, day out. We were pulling in some serious money - £2,000 a day sometimes.'
As the gang grew, more and more vulnerable children were recruited and made to traffic drugs.
The boy said: 'My mate told one of his boys, ''I'm putting you on'' – meaning, you're going to do the legwork now - be the grafter, go out and sell. He'd give them a percent of the phone, a cut of the earnings, enough to keep them loyal.
'Then that boy would bring in his own mate, and so on. That's how they spread so quickly and unnoticed.
'This is where the exploitation begins, in the familiarity because we're all ''friends,'' no one questions it. When I was in it, I didn't think I was being exploited. I thought I was being helped.
'I had no money, and no prospects, so someone I trusted was showing me a way to survive.
'We used kids even younger than me - 14, 15 - in school uniform, because they didn't get stopped by police as much. We'd tell them to take off their blazers so their schools wouldn't get involved.
'If a kid got caught too many times, they became a liability and we would just find another one.'
The boy described the most dangerous part of his role as 'going OT' - or 'out of town' - which refers to moving to a new area outside the gang's typical turf in order to deal drugs there.
'You're in an area you don't know, with people you barely trust so the lines blur fast. It's just two of you sometimes, dropped into a place where no one cares if you don't make it back,' he said.
'I'd lie to social care staff and say I was staying at a mate's house. If I didn't have a real address, I'd pull one off Google Maps because going ''missing'' brought attention, which was dangerous.
'If we saw the police got too close, I'd have to move all the gear from where we were. We called them ''shots gaffs'' - places where users let us stay and work. I'd cook and sell from there.
'Violence wasn't just a threat, it was normal. I saw my friend kidnapped. I've been threatened with guns and knives, all for grafting where I wasn't meant to.'
The boy eventually left the gang after the associate who had first recruited him was sent to prison.
'I was running it on my own. But by being in care and moving around a lot, I eventually got moved out of the area which saved me as I handed the phone to the next in line,' he said.
Now in his late teens, he is working full-time and living independently. He is supported by Next Stage Youth Development, which provides accommodation for young people in the North West and West Yorkshire.
The youngster hopes his input into a training programme being developed by the company will help professionals working with children help other people in his situation.
'I know others who've gone through the same. I've recruited kids myself from being in different areas and across care, where many kids are looking for a chance to make money,' he said.
'If people like teachers or transport police took a closer look and asked questions when kids are tired, withdrawn, showing up with new clothes and no explanation, you can get an idea of what that child might be facing,' he said.
'If we're sitting on a train looking out of place, don't just turn away – think about whether they might be in trouble.'
The Child Criminal Exploitation Bill, which is currently going through Parliament, plans to create a new offence of exploiting children for criminal activity, with a maximum sentence of ten years' imprisonment.
Paul O'Rourke, managing director of Next Stage Group added: 'This young person's bravery and insight have shaped a training resource that is already changing how professionals understand exploitation.'
'While we welcome the new CCE Bill as a crucial ethical step forward, real change will come from recognising the deeper issues - poverty, coercion and lack of choice that drive young people into these situations.
'Legal reform must go hand-in-hand with proactive, compassionate approaches that divert young people from the criminal system before it takes hold.'
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