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County Lines drug dealing in Scotland.
Major cities across the United Kingdom have long been established as hubs for the buying and selling of illegal drugs. An increase in demand for a range of drugs, including recreational substances such as cocaine and MDMA to the more hardcore offerings of crack and heroin, have led to an increase in the number of drug dealers in British cities.
Research shows that the availability of drugs is at an all time high and so competition is fierce. Dealers have attempted to widen their client base by travelling to more rural areas in a bid to maximise their profits with 71% of British police forces reporting the presence of established ‘County Lines’ within their jurisdiction.
What are County Lines?
County line drug dealing is a developing form of selling drugs to more rural communities away from major cities. County line drug dealing involves gangs travelling to smaller towns in rural and coastal areas to sell their drugs. Drugs are often couriered into the area by different associates to meet demand, crossing area boundaries in doing so and so a network of movement is created. The use of runners (often youngsters) and mobile phones (phone lines) to maintain communication also facilitate the network and so the idea of ‘County Lines’ was created.
Existing literature mainly focusses on activity originating from London and other English cities so this article will attempt to investigate the current situation in Scotland. It is hypothesised, due to the complex nature of Scotland’s geography, that county line drug dealing could look very different in Scotland.
Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city and has a well-known association with gang culture and crime. It is estimated that 70% of Scotland’s organised criminal activity is centred around Glasgow and 65% of that related to the sale of illegal drugs. Unsurprisingly, it’s been found that most drugs supplied in the rural areas of Scotland have originated in Glasgow.
One study from 2019 has highlighted how Glasgow’s drug problem is no longer restricted to the inner-city areas. It has found that affluent areas such as Bishopbriggs, Giffnock and Newton Mearns are being targeted by criminal gangs. Runners are being sent to these areas to supply youths with their product to sell. Smaller towns in the…
