County Lines: Children rescued from drug dealing gang in east London

Tap above to watch video report by Ria Chatterjee

Police investigating the exploitation of children into County Lines, where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, arrested eight people in early morning raids on Thursday.

Four addresses were targeted simultaneously in Ilford and Newham during an investigation which began last year.

Police identified a gang they suspected of being involved in widespread drug supply across east London and Essex and initially found more than 10 children being controlled by the group.

“The operation has focused on rescuing children and vulnerable people who had no option but to do as they were told through fear of violence from those controlling them," said Detective Inspector Laura Hillier.

“We know county lines activity is closely linked to violence that we see on the streets of London and in other parts of the United Kingdom.

Not only have we rescued children from violence and exploitation, but by disrupting this drug supply line we’ve destroyed the business model of this group and hopefully prevented further criminality,” she added.

A total of seven men and one woman were arrested, aged between 19 and 56 years old, on suspicion of conspiracy to supply drugs, modern slavery and human trafficking.