More than 1,000 children were linked to “county lines” drug dealing over three week-long crackdowns on the crime.
The National County Lines Coordination Centre (NCLCC) said the youngsters were among more than 2,400 vulnerable people protected in October 2018, January and May this year.
Some 131 referrals were made to the National Referral Mechanism, which identifies potential victims of human trafficking.
Over the three “intensification weeks”, 1,882 arrests were made, 403 drugs lines disrupted, £182,000 worth of drugs seized and 391 weapons, including 38 firearms, found, according to the NCLCC.
The Home-Office funded centre was set up last September by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the National Crime Agency (NCA) to target gangs exploiting children to sell drugs through so-called county lines.
The term refers to the mobile phone lines dedicated to taking orders from drug users, which are operated by criminals from big cities who have expanded into smaller towns.
Young and vulnerable people are often used to act as drug runners or have their homes taken over, or “cuckooed”, to be used as drug dens.
NPCC lead for county lines, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Duncan Ball, said: “Since the NCLCC was set up we have made great strides in tackling and dismantling cruel county lines gangs and protecting the vulnerable people exploited by them.
“The large number of arrests and weapons seized is testament to the hard work and dedication of the centre and of officers across the country who work tirelessly to pursue and prosecute those involved.”
The NCA estimate there are currently 2,000 “deal lines” in operation.
Nikki Holland, the NCA’s county lines lead and director of investigations, said: “Thanks to the dedication of law enforcement officers over the past year since the centre launched, we have been able to target county lines networks in a co-ordinated way like never before – taking huge numbers of drugs and weapons off the streets and safeguarding those most vulnerable.”
Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire Kit Malthouse added: “County lines has a devastating impact on our communities and we are working relentlessly to disrupt these gangs and put an end to the exploitation of children and vulnerable adults.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here