THE Highlands grapples with the grim reality of so-called County lines’ drug operationswith 10 separate gangs exploiting vulnerable individuals in its capital.

Police Scotland’s Highlands and Islands Division has identified the growing footprint of organized crime over the past 18 months, with devastating consequences for the community.

The criminal networks behind County Lines originate in major cities such as Liverpool, London and the West Midlands and use a combination of coercion, exploitation and violence to tighten their grip on the drug trade.

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Drug dealers were in the Highlands to make some quick money

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While Inverness is the hub of their northern operations, they extend as far as Alness.

The county line model

At the heart of County Lines is a simple but ruthless business model: gangs operate a single telephone line, known as a “dealing line”which connects them to customers in the local area.

“This is the primary means of contact,” explained Detective Inspector Craig Still.

“It gives the organized group some distance, so the agent sent on their behalf is found rather than the group itself.”

These ‘agents’ – often young men with criminal records or vulnerable individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds – are sent to Inverness to carry out the gang’s work.

They stay for short periods and use local properties as bases for drug dealing, storage and accommodation.

Current lines are called the “Frankie” line, Scouse Nay and Scouse Mo.

The ‘Frankie’ line hails from the West Midlands and police quickly put a dent in their work in the Highlands after a rise in fatal and non-fatal overdoses due to the presence of nitazene in heroin.

There was also a presence from the Western Balkans for a while, running a sophisticated facility and dealing mostly in cocaine.

Cuckoo: homes turn into drug dens

The practice of cuckooing is one of the most devastating aspects of County Line’s operations. Gangs target vulnerable individuals – often those with substance abuse problems or mental illness – and take over their homes and use them as safe houses for drugs and money.

“We’ve gone into addresses where it’s completely destroyed in terms of how they lived their life before,” said DCI Still.

“There are several people coming in and out of their house daily. Quite often they don’t even know who these people are.”

Facilitators within Inverness, mainly women with their own vulnerabilities, act as local contacts for the gangs.

These facilitators are paid to help identify and secure addresses, often using their own networks of vulnerable individuals.

Highland Council has said it has seen more people being targeted in the past 24 months.

A council spokesperson said: “Offenders involved in County Lines target our most vulnerable in society. Our Health, Social Care and Wellbeing team offers training in awareness of the compulsive features of County Lines and to help protect children, young people and our vulnerable adults across the Highlands.

“We continue to work in partnership with Police Scotland, NHS Highland and other third sector organizations to support those vulnerable and affected by County Line’s exploitation.”

Impact on Inverness

County Lines gangs have brought a wave of violence to Inverness.

Last year, the city saw a sharp increase in violent incidents that police attribute to these criminal networks. The drug trade itself is taking an increasingly deadly toll, with fatal and non-fatal overdoses on the rise.

Mike Cosh, a drug enforcement expert, revealed the scale of the problem: “Any one line can make up to £3000-£4000 a day. And that’s just what we know about.”

Although only three or four lines operate in the city at any given time, their methods have made them difficult to disrupt.

Instead of relying on one location, the gangs divide their operations into several properties, using one for business, another for storage and others for overnight stays.

“County Lines don’t tend to settle on an address,” says DCI Still. “That can make enforcement really difficult.”

Exploitation at all levels

Although the profile of those working for County Lines gangs has changed over time, the exploitation remains constant. Children as young as 15 have been lured into the trade with promises of cash and gifts.

In a recent case, two brothers, aged 17 and 15, were recruited from London and sent to Inverness to work for a gang.

They lived in separate homes and were expected to sell drugs daily. During a police raid, the older brother expressed concern for his younger sibling, leading to their rescue and protection.

“The person sent here is often vulnerable themselves,” DCI Still said.

“They take advantage of people with significant trauma – often linked to poverty or substance abuse backgrounds.”

More recently, those selected tend to be males aged 18–25 with criminal histories. But the gangs’ tactics remain unchanged: they target vulnerable people and use gifts and money to lure them in before turning to violence and coercion.

Police Scotland are working to make Inverness a hostile environment for these gangs.

Enforcement remains a priority, but efforts are also being made to support victims and facilitate exploitation.

A County Lines Awareness Session was held this week at the force’s Inverness headquarters, bringing together organizations from social services, social justice and the third sector to tackle the issue collaboratively.

“We’ve had to rethink our strategy,” DCI Still said. “We wanted to strengthen our intervention work and focus on supporting vulnerable people to prevent them from getting involved again.”

Despite the challenges, there have been successes. Police Scotland have managed to disrupt several lines and send people back to their hometowns. But as DCI Still warns, there is much more to do.

“These networks are sophisticated and resourceful. But by working together we can make Inverness a more difficult place for these groups to exploit,” he said.

Mr Cosh reiterated the need for vigilance: “There is more – much more than we know (about),” he said. “But with the right strategies, we can stop these groups from destroying lives.”

Exploitation of vulnerable people and children

County Line gangs thrive on exploiting those already in precarious circumstances, with people struggling with addiction and children among the most vulnerable. According to Sergeant Graham Cameron, protecting these individuals is essential to breaking the cycle of exploitation.

“People who are addicted don’t want to be in the situation they’re in. People who have had an adverse childhood experience (ACE) are 16 times more at risk than people who don’t need to take heroin or crack cocaine,” he explained.

The link between trauma, abuse and exploitation is stark. Those with problematic drug use are not only criminalized but are often victims themselves, forced into roles that perpetuate the cycle of County Line operations.

“If you tell someone they’re worthless most of their life, they’re going to believe it,” Sgt Cameron said, stressing the importance of challenging stereotypes and focusing on protection rather than prosecution.

Will there be justice?

A shocking insight into how an organized crime group from Liverpool targeted Inverness and the Highlands was given at Inverness Sheriff Court last month.

Inland Revenue depute David Morton detailed how the sophisticated drug-trafficking system was used by a gang known as Scouse Jack to bring heroin and cocaine into Inverness, Nairn and Aviemore, and how intelligence-gathering and mobile phone tracking by police played a vital role in catching pushers .

Mr Morton told Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald that as far back as September 2019 the organized crime group was first seen operating in and around Inverness selling heroin and cocaine.

On 9 March 2021, police received reports that a vehicle carrying members of Scouse Jack was traveling up the A9 to Inverness “potentially carrying drugs”.

Police intervened which led to Carl Masher (26), from Liverpool, and ‘vulnerable’ Inverness man Christopher Gow (41), who was a drug user, appearing in court.

Mr Morton said: “Gow was trusted by the group and he trusted them and he would collect money and deal drugs on their behalf.”

Both Masher and Gow pleaded guilty to charges of being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs. They were due to be sentenced this week, but it has been postponed until December 16.

A community effort

The geography of the Highlands adds unique challenges, with Detective Inspector Craig Thomson noting how problems such as connectivity and isolation exacerbate exploitation. Unlike the more visible signs of crime seen in urban areas – such as noise from ‘party flats’ – the hidden nature of exploitation in rural areas makes it more difficult to identify and intervene.

“Exploitation of our children and adults is already happening,” he said. “We need to look behind the offenders – missing children, people who want a lift somewhere – and ask what they’ve had to do to do that.”

DI Thomson emphasized the importance of partnership working between agencies, from community engagement to safeguarding efforts, to tackle the root causes of the problem.

“County Lines is a community problem — we can’t do it ourselves,” he said.

Fiona Steel, National Director for Scotland at Action for Children, said: “We have over 10 years’ experience of protecting children and young people from exploitation by serious organized crime in Scotland and across the UK. We see first-hand the devastating consequences of exploitation for them, their families, communities and those harmed by the related crime.

“If a child you know shows aggressive or violent behaviour, carries a weapon or suddenly has unexplained money, multiple mobile phones and branded clothes, it could be a sign that they are being exploited.

“If you are concerned about a child at risk of being exploited, please speak to someone about it. Contact their school, local children’s services or the police and explain your concerns.

“Any parent who needs further support can contact the Action for Children’s Parent Talk service for free, practical advice from one of our trained parenting coaches at parent-talk.org.uk”

If you have information that could help the police, call 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously.