Primary School Children Taught to Recognize Gang Exploitation in County Lines Drug Networks A primary school in Somerset is teaching children as young as nine how to protect themselves from exploitation by gangs involved in county lines drug operations. The lesson, which includes props like fake knives and empty Kinder Eggs, highlights the growing threat of criminal networks targeting young children through social media platforms. With over 6,500 active county lines across the UK, the model of criminality is evolving rapidly, leaving police and parents struggling to keep up. In a primary school classroom in Somerset, a lesson unfolds that no child should ever have to experience. It’s a bright Wednesday afternoon in Bridgwater, a market town with a struggling economy. Outside, the playground is lined with small scooters, and inside, the walls are adorned with children’s drawings—rainbows, animals, and stick figures—alongside their careful handwriting attempts. The students, aged nine and ten, raise their hands eagerly, their fingers still marked with blue pen. They look impossibly young, with grazed knees, untucked shirts, and gap-tooth smiles.Yet, at the front of the room, the teacher unzips a bag and begins placing its contents on the table: a mobile phone, a vape, rolled-up banknotes, a fake knife, and an empty Kinder Egg. These objects serve as props in a lesson designed to teach children how to protect themselves from exploitation by gangs dealing in hard drugs. The Kinder Egg, for instance, can be used to conceal class A drugs like crack cocaine.The children are unaware that their town has become a target for a sprawling £500 million criminal network. The headteacher later reveals that exploitation has been observed even among younger children in Key Stage One, who often don’t understand the gravity of their actions. Outside, daffodils bloom as the children learn how a seemingly innocent message on their phone—an offer of money or a request to carry something—can lead to dangerous consequences.Many boys are lured into county lines operations at a young age, and recruitment can be alarmingly simple through social media platforms like Snapchat. The school, recognizing signs of potential exploitation, has partnered with Escapeline, a charity dedicated to preventing the sexual and criminal grooming of young people by gangs in the South West.This lesson is part of the front line in the battle against 'county lines,' a term used to describe gang networks that transport drugs from cities to towns and coastal areas, often using young people as couriers. While county lines may seem distant to some, the drugs moved by exploited children often end up in affluent suburbs, university towns, and campus nightlife, where demand is high.There are now over 6,500 active lines across England, Scotland, and Wales, with at least 27,000 teenagers and children—4,000 in London alone—trapped within these networks. For the latest episode of the Mail’s investigative video series, *Underground UK*, I traveled across the country to investigate what those on the ground are calling 'County Lines 2.0.' I discovered a model of criminality evolving faster than police, parents, or policymakers can keep up with. Recruitment is now moving online through platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, gaming platforms, and private group chats, allowing gangs to reach children younger, faster, and out of sight of adults. Group chats play a significant role in this process.I could be added by someone from the other side of London, offered something, and accept it immediately, says 17-year-old Dyllan, who was drawn into county lines at just 14. He is dressed in a matching tracksuit, spotless trainers, and a huge puffer jacket, occasionally glancing over his shoulder as he speaks. I know kids on my block who are ten years old and shotting, he says, referring to the act of carrying drugs. Most of his friends do it.It happens all the time. They’ll just ask you where you’re from and ask if you want to make a piece of bread. Tell you what you need to do, and then it goes from there. Finding new recruits can be deceptively simple.On platforms like Snapchat, it begins by being added to group chats or receiving direct messages from strangers. Charity workers have noted that having large numbers of online friends is a sign of popularity for younger children, so they may accept people they vaguely recognize or have mutual connections with but do not know.Features like Snap Maps can reveal a young person’s exact location, making it easier for gang members to make contact—sometimes by targeting specific individuals or by casting messages widely and waiting for the most vulnerable to respond