Up to one in five teenage boys say they or their friends have been offered work by drug gangs
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Nearly one in five (19%) UK teenage boys say they or their friends have been offered work by drug suppliers, a survey commissioned by British Transport Police (BTP) suggests.
Data further reveals that more than a quarter (27%) of boys aged 13 to 19 have seen drugs being offered or sold either at school or on social media.
To counter drug suppliers’ attempts to groom, manipulate and seduce children into the drug trade, BTP has today (1 March) launched an all-new campaign. The ‘Don’t Take the Bait’ digital campaign highlights the tactics drug gangs use to coerce and exploit teens.
Drug gangs are known to offer money, mobile phones, gaming tokens, vapes and clothing in exchange for what they present as a ‘business opportunity’. Social media messages sent by drug suppliers to teenagers seen by BTP include, ‘who wants to make £500 this weekend?’ and ‘who wants overtime?’.
BTP’s dedicated County Lines Taskforce routinely encounter young and vulnerable people on the railway who have been e...
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