1 00:00:03,919 --> 00:00:08,119 Tonight - county lines drug dealers on the streets of Britain. 2 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:09,639 Yeah, there you go. 3 00:00:09,639 --> 00:00:12,439 Under lockdown, it's become bolder than ever. 4 00:00:12,439 --> 00:00:14,639 That is how blatant it is. 5 00:00:16,159 --> 00:00:19,359 It's a ruthless business that exploits vulnerable children. 6 00:00:19,359 --> 00:00:21,919 My phone rings, CJ's been shot. 7 00:00:23,399 --> 00:00:25,479 And I just remember being at the hospital, 8 00:00:25,479 --> 00:00:29,279 he had bandages on his head and it was blood everywhere. 9 00:00:29,279 --> 00:00:30,719 Three minutes. 10 00:00:30,719 --> 00:00:32,199 Panorama spent a year 11 00:00:32,199 --> 00:00:35,439 following one of the country's busiest police forces... 12 00:00:35,439 --> 00:00:38,119 DOOR CRASHES IN Police! Police! 13 00:00:38,119 --> 00:00:39,959 ..arresting street dealers... 14 00:00:39,959 --> 00:00:42,919 We found the holy trilogy - drugs, cash, phones. 15 00:00:42,919 --> 00:00:44,559 PHONE RINGS 16 00:00:44,559 --> 00:00:48,839 ..and targeting the suppliers bringing misery across the country. 17 00:00:48,839 --> 00:00:53,439 This is not a glamorous lifestyle. This is horrendous and violent. 18 00:00:53,439 --> 00:00:56,679 And if you get into it, it's very hard to get out of it. 19 00:00:58,599 --> 00:01:01,399 DISTANT SIRENS 20 00:01:06,679 --> 00:01:08,519 Good morning, everyone. 21 00:01:08,519 --> 00:01:10,319 CHATTER 22 00:01:10,319 --> 00:01:11,879 It's 4am. 23 00:01:11,879 --> 00:01:15,839 150 officers from Kent and two other police forces 24 00:01:15,839 --> 00:01:19,439 are taking part in an operation codenamed Zeal. 25 00:01:19,439 --> 00:01:21,399 Part of a huge operation, this one. 26 00:01:21,399 --> 00:01:23,719 Hopefully, we'll protect some vulnerable people, 27 00:01:23,719 --> 00:01:25,599 bring in some drug dealers. 28 00:01:25,599 --> 00:01:28,039 So we're going to an address in Dartford today 29 00:01:28,039 --> 00:01:29,679 as part of a big operation. 30 00:01:29,679 --> 00:01:32,999 Over 40 warrants being executed over the next day or so, 31 00:01:32,999 --> 00:01:36,159 targeting county line drug dealers in Kent. 32 00:01:37,599 --> 00:01:39,799 A county line is a drug-dealing network, 33 00:01:39,799 --> 00:01:41,559 often with a city-based dealer 34 00:01:41,559 --> 00:01:45,199 distributing illegal drugs to smaller towns. 35 00:01:45,199 --> 00:01:48,239 Fighting it needs a joined-up approach. 36 00:01:48,239 --> 00:01:51,319 Most of the county lines we're dealing with come out of London, 37 00:01:51,319 --> 00:01:54,039 so we're leading a three-force operation here today. 38 00:01:54,039 --> 00:01:56,439 It's us, the Met and British Transport Police. 39 00:01:58,919 --> 00:02:02,359 County lines gangs sell their drugs through phone dealing lines. 40 00:02:02,359 --> 00:02:05,879 Crack and heroin are the most popular drugs. 41 00:02:05,879 --> 00:02:10,159 Profits from a single line can be £800,000 per year, 42 00:02:10,159 --> 00:02:13,719 and each gang will violently defend its turf. 43 00:02:13,719 --> 00:02:16,399 We'll check out at 5:20, all call signs in position, 44 00:02:16,399 --> 00:02:19,239 run through it with the Met and Bronze Commander on the ground 45 00:02:19,239 --> 00:02:21,799 and then we'll get the strike from there. Yes, sir. 46 00:02:21,799 --> 00:02:23,119 Three minutes. 47 00:02:23,119 --> 00:02:26,439 County line drug dealers are a sophisticated, organised, 48 00:02:26,439 --> 00:02:28,599 incredibly violent group of individuals. 49 00:02:30,999 --> 00:02:32,639 We're trying to get to the snake's head. 50 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:35,079 We're trying to find out who is bringing these drugs in. 51 00:02:35,079 --> 00:02:37,079 They're the people we're really after. 52 00:02:38,519 --> 00:02:40,359 Silver to Bronze, ground and all units - 53 00:02:40,359 --> 00:02:41,759 strike, strike, strike. 54 00:02:41,759 --> 00:02:44,399 GLASS SHATTERS 55 00:02:44,399 --> 00:02:46,919 SHOUTING Police! Police! 56 00:02:49,239 --> 00:02:51,679 In all, 18 people are arrested, 57 00:02:51,679 --> 00:02:54,559 including six who police believe are big players. 58 00:02:57,199 --> 00:03:00,039 SHOUTING 59 00:03:00,039 --> 00:03:02,039 When we first started looking 60 00:03:02,039 --> 00:03:03,919 at the phenomenon of county lines, 61 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:06,959 which was back probably about seven years ago now, 62 00:03:06,959 --> 00:03:09,999 only seven forces in the country were actually affected. 63 00:03:09,999 --> 00:03:13,239 As of today, every police force in the country is affected. 64 00:03:13,239 --> 00:03:15,239 DISTANT SIRENS 65 00:03:15,239 --> 00:03:18,279 Last week, Boris Johnson re-affirmed his commitment 66 00:03:18,279 --> 00:03:19,919 to tackling drug dealers. 67 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:22,679 In the last 18 months, law enforcement agencies 68 00:03:22,679 --> 00:03:27,479 have been promised an extra £65 million to target county lines, 69 00:03:27,479 --> 00:03:30,319 money that's allowed Kent Police to double the size 70 00:03:30,319 --> 00:03:32,199 of its county lines and gangs teams. 71 00:03:32,199 --> 00:03:34,039 My name's Rob Hemsley. I'm a detective. 72 00:03:34,039 --> 00:03:36,599 I'm one of the six investigators on the team, 73 00:03:36,599 --> 00:03:40,199 and I've been working here for about three and a half years now. 74 00:03:40,199 --> 00:03:42,279 The drug users, you used to see them every morning, 75 00:03:42,279 --> 00:03:44,079 getting on the train, going up to London, 76 00:03:44,079 --> 00:03:45,959 buying their drugs, coming back. Mm. 77 00:03:45,959 --> 00:03:47,799 The whole system's changed now. 78 00:03:47,799 --> 00:03:50,639 The drugs are being brought into the town. 79 00:03:50,639 --> 00:03:52,439 My name's Mike Williams. 80 00:03:52,439 --> 00:03:55,919 I'm a disruption officer for the county line gangs team. 81 00:03:55,919 --> 00:03:57,919 It's our job to go out there, 82 00:03:57,919 --> 00:04:00,359 take the runners that are selling the drugs, 83 00:04:00,359 --> 00:04:02,199 getting any evidence that we can provide 84 00:04:02,199 --> 00:04:04,199 to start the investigation process. 85 00:04:05,359 --> 00:04:08,799 That usually starts by gathering information from the street dealers, 86 00:04:08,799 --> 00:04:10,399 known as runners. 87 00:04:10,399 --> 00:04:13,439 Mike Williams has worked this beat for more than a decade 88 00:04:13,439 --> 00:04:15,199 and knows many of them by sight. 89 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:18,679 We'll go to Chatham. 90 00:04:18,679 --> 00:04:21,359 The drug users know it as "Browntown". 91 00:04:21,359 --> 00:04:23,719 Brown is a word for heroin. 92 00:04:23,719 --> 00:04:25,959 Anywhere there's shops or a shopping centre, 93 00:04:25,959 --> 00:04:27,999 it seems to attract people that are using drugs. 94 00:04:29,479 --> 00:04:33,079 They will go into town centres, shoplift, sell their items, 95 00:04:33,079 --> 00:04:35,039 then they will go and buy their drugs. 96 00:04:36,519 --> 00:04:38,839 Mike and his team are based in Medway, 97 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:43,079 but they also have to keep an eye on dealers crossing over from London. 98 00:04:43,079 --> 00:04:45,479 Outside of London, the south-east of England 99 00:04:45,479 --> 00:04:49,119 has the highest rate of drug seizures in the UK. 100 00:04:49,119 --> 00:04:51,119 Yeah, in Kent... Yeah, it's getting bad, 101 00:04:51,119 --> 00:04:53,439 especially in the north of the county, up near Dartford. 102 00:04:53,439 --> 00:04:55,399 People come across, do the street robberies, 103 00:04:55,399 --> 00:04:56,999 jump back on the train. 104 00:04:56,999 --> 00:04:59,039 They're all part of gangs. It's initiations. 105 00:04:59,039 --> 00:05:01,559 So they're new to the gang - go out and do a robbery, 106 00:05:01,559 --> 00:05:04,159 get some phones, and that leads onto other things. 107 00:05:06,639 --> 00:05:09,839 There's a road called Piggy Alley. It's probably called Piggy Alley 108 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:11,639 cos there's always police up and down it. 109 00:05:11,639 --> 00:05:13,279 But we get a lot of dealing going down. 110 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:16,359 It's like a service road, lots of little alleyways off it, 111 00:05:16,359 --> 00:05:18,559 and there's always people skulking in and out. 112 00:05:20,479 --> 00:05:23,079 That's thingy, innit? Michael Brockett. Right, yeah. 113 00:05:23,079 --> 00:05:25,239 Keep on going past. 114 00:05:25,239 --> 00:05:28,999 Mike Williams has just spotted someone he's arrested before - 115 00:05:28,999 --> 00:05:31,359 a runner called Michael Brockett. 116 00:05:31,359 --> 00:05:33,199 Potentially, an exchange has just taken place. 117 00:05:34,319 --> 00:05:37,079 Right, fella, you all right? Just have a quick chat? It's all right. 118 00:05:37,079 --> 00:05:39,079 Keep your hands out of your pockets for two minutes. 119 00:05:39,079 --> 00:05:40,519 Keep your hand out of your pocket. 120 00:05:40,519 --> 00:05:42,759 You've been detained for the purpose of a drug search. 121 00:05:42,759 --> 00:05:44,919 Have you got anything on you you shouldn't have? Yeah. 122 00:05:44,919 --> 00:05:46,799 Whereabouts? In the bag. 123 00:05:46,799 --> 00:05:48,519 What's that in your bag for, then? 124 00:05:48,519 --> 00:05:51,479 I got a meat cleaver over the head. 125 00:05:51,479 --> 00:05:53,919 So it's for your protection, is it? Yeah. OK. 126 00:05:58,199 --> 00:06:00,599 We've got some crack cocaine there, haven't we? 127 00:06:02,439 --> 00:06:08,359 We found a quantity of heroin and crack cocaine. 128 00:06:08,359 --> 00:06:10,599 You've got the white here which is your crack, 129 00:06:10,599 --> 00:06:12,799 then you've got the brown, which is the heroin. 130 00:06:14,039 --> 00:06:17,399 The runners are the most junior and the most exposed members 131 00:06:17,399 --> 00:06:19,519 of the county lines networks. 132 00:06:19,519 --> 00:06:23,199 As Michael Brockett is arrested, his phone is also seized. 133 00:06:23,199 --> 00:06:24,599 PHONE RINGS 134 00:06:24,599 --> 00:06:27,719 The phone line has a nickname - it helps those in the chain above 135 00:06:27,719 --> 00:06:30,079 build their brand but hide their identity. 136 00:06:31,919 --> 00:06:33,919 He's got his phone ringing off the hook. 137 00:06:33,919 --> 00:06:35,519 Got this number here, Ace. 138 00:06:35,519 --> 00:06:38,199 We know that this is a drug-dealing network 139 00:06:38,199 --> 00:06:40,759 that's operating within the Medway towns. 140 00:06:40,759 --> 00:06:43,879 We have to get it downloaded to see what content we've got on it. 141 00:06:46,959 --> 00:06:49,159 Police hope that data from the Ace phone 142 00:06:49,159 --> 00:06:51,399 will help identify the distributor 143 00:06:51,399 --> 00:06:53,639 who's supplying the runners with drugs - 144 00:06:53,639 --> 00:06:56,079 they're know as line holders. 145 00:06:56,079 --> 00:06:58,319 We want to take out the people that are holding the line 146 00:06:58,319 --> 00:07:00,359 because they're the bigger threat, 147 00:07:00,359 --> 00:07:02,599 and they are harder to replace. 148 00:07:02,599 --> 00:07:05,839 They could be in control of several lines and several runners. 149 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:08,119 So it will take out more people in the long run. 150 00:07:09,679 --> 00:07:12,159 Information gathered from the Ace line phone 151 00:07:12,159 --> 00:07:14,999 will be fed into Kent Police's monthly review, 152 00:07:14,999 --> 00:07:19,239 where it's decided which county lines are going to be prioritised. 153 00:07:19,239 --> 00:07:21,679 Good afternoon, everybody. My name's Mike Worrall. 154 00:07:21,679 --> 00:07:23,159 I'm a Detective Superintendent 155 00:07:23,159 --> 00:07:26,559 in charge of the gang and county line teams here in Kent... 156 00:07:26,559 --> 00:07:29,799 According to the latest figures from the National Crime Agency, 157 00:07:29,799 --> 00:07:34,679 there are around 1,000 county lines in operation across the UK. 158 00:07:34,679 --> 00:07:38,799 Here in Kent, the number of lines is at near record levels. 159 00:07:38,799 --> 00:07:42,199 At the minute, we've got 65 county lines in total. 160 00:07:42,199 --> 00:07:45,159 I think the highest number we've had is 67, from memory. 161 00:07:45,159 --> 00:07:47,399 So it's obviously very busy. 162 00:07:47,399 --> 00:07:49,319 We'll be working around the intelligence, 163 00:07:49,319 --> 00:07:53,599 and that picture changes on a daily, weekly basis. Yeah. 164 00:07:53,599 --> 00:07:58,239 The street disruption officers go out gathering the intelligence. 165 00:07:58,239 --> 00:08:01,119 That intelligence is looked at through a matrix 166 00:08:01,119 --> 00:08:06,759 which then identifies which scores are given to which county line. 167 00:08:06,759 --> 00:08:09,199 This is a provisional score of 56. 168 00:08:10,439 --> 00:08:13,679 This matrix takes the complex web of intelligence 169 00:08:13,679 --> 00:08:16,959 that officers have gathered and turns it into a number - 170 00:08:16,959 --> 00:08:20,799 the higher the number, the more dangerous the county line. 171 00:08:20,799 --> 00:08:24,839 My name is Olivia Lee. I'm a civilian intelligence analyst. 172 00:08:24,839 --> 00:08:27,599 My main job is to control the matrix 173 00:08:27,599 --> 00:08:30,359 and the scoring for the county lines. 174 00:08:30,359 --> 00:08:32,519 A firearm was located at one of the safe houses 175 00:08:32,519 --> 00:08:34,399 that we did warrants at. 176 00:08:34,399 --> 00:08:36,759 We're looking for vulnerability. 177 00:08:36,759 --> 00:08:39,159 That drug dealer has a young child. 178 00:08:39,159 --> 00:08:42,519 If they're using juveniles, using vulnerable adults 179 00:08:42,519 --> 00:08:46,639 and they're linked to weapons, we will then score based on that. 180 00:08:46,639 --> 00:08:50,239 The Ace line - a provisional score of 36. 181 00:08:50,239 --> 00:08:52,559 The higher the score drives the top five, 182 00:08:52,559 --> 00:08:55,119 which is what drives the direction of the force. 183 00:08:59,479 --> 00:09:01,879 Scoring just 36 means that the Ace line 184 00:09:01,879 --> 00:09:04,119 isn't going to be prioritised this month. 185 00:09:05,359 --> 00:09:07,959 Police have another target - the Jem Line. 186 00:09:09,199 --> 00:09:11,879 This is a drugs network with several line holders 187 00:09:11,879 --> 00:09:14,399 and teams of teenage drug runners. 188 00:09:14,399 --> 00:09:17,839 The line is linked to knife as well as gun crime. 189 00:09:17,839 --> 00:09:20,519 How big is the Jem Line? Big. 190 00:09:20,519 --> 00:09:23,119 Into the hundreds of thousands, easily. 191 00:09:23,119 --> 00:09:25,359 Jem is our number one. Jemel Fourneillier. 192 00:09:25,359 --> 00:09:28,199 He's what we'd say is a higher level of drug dealer. 193 00:09:29,279 --> 00:09:32,479 He scored 81. 81 is the highest we've had. 194 00:09:33,679 --> 00:09:35,799 Jemel Fourneillier sits higher up 195 00:09:35,799 --> 00:09:40,399 and contacts the line holder, who then contacts the runners. 196 00:09:40,399 --> 00:09:42,239 So he's the head of some of the networks 197 00:09:42,239 --> 00:09:43,679 that we've been looking at. 198 00:09:44,759 --> 00:09:48,519 Jem's a supplier, supplying drugs in and around 199 00:09:48,519 --> 00:09:52,119 the Medway areas and London to other lines. 200 00:09:57,639 --> 00:10:01,559 THEY WHISPER 201 00:10:01,559 --> 00:10:05,239 The county lines and gangs team targeted Fourneillier at home.... 202 00:10:08,039 --> 00:10:10,319 ..and caught him red-handed. 203 00:10:10,319 --> 00:10:13,599 DOOR CRASHES Police! Stay there! 204 00:10:13,599 --> 00:10:16,159 Stay where you are! SHOUTING AND STRUGGLING 205 00:10:16,159 --> 00:10:18,199 Show me your hands. Move the dog, move the dog! 206 00:10:18,199 --> 00:10:20,879 You're nicked for possession with intent to supply class-A drugs. 207 00:10:20,879 --> 00:10:23,319 That's come out of your hand. 208 00:10:23,319 --> 00:10:25,119 VOICEOVER: He was found trying to flush 209 00:10:25,119 --> 00:10:27,319 some bundles of crack cocaine down the toilet. 210 00:10:28,359 --> 00:10:30,399 At one of the other addresses linked to him, 211 00:10:30,399 --> 00:10:33,199 we recovered about half a kilo of crack cocaine and heroin 212 00:10:33,199 --> 00:10:35,239 and a firearm which was loaded. 213 00:10:39,919 --> 00:10:41,839 Fourneillier is under arrest, 214 00:10:41,839 --> 00:10:45,119 but the county lines network he supplied is still operating. 215 00:10:46,239 --> 00:10:49,879 Under him is an 18-year-old line holder who lives in Rochester. 216 00:10:51,119 --> 00:10:52,559 OK. Thank you, guys. 217 00:10:52,559 --> 00:10:55,959 Today, we're here to execute a drugs warrant in Rochester, 218 00:10:55,959 --> 00:10:58,199 a male by the name of George Dempsey. 219 00:10:58,199 --> 00:11:01,599 It's believed that he's controlling the county line known as Avon. 220 00:11:04,319 --> 00:11:08,599 Several unmarked police vehicles are converging on Dempsey's home. 221 00:11:08,599 --> 00:11:09,799 RADIO CHIRPS 222 00:11:09,799 --> 00:11:13,239 Yeah, Luke, if you think it's him, mate, we'll try and put a stop in. 223 00:11:13,239 --> 00:11:16,919 Officers in one of the other cars spot Dempsey on the street. 224 00:11:16,919 --> 00:11:18,519 We think... We think he's... 225 00:11:18,519 --> 00:11:21,159 OVER RADIO: We're just moving in closer to him in case he takes off. 226 00:11:21,159 --> 00:11:23,119 We think he's come out of the address... 227 00:11:24,279 --> 00:11:26,159 He's there. 228 00:11:26,159 --> 00:11:27,519 He's making off. 229 00:11:27,519 --> 00:11:29,719 Oh, he's making off, making off. 230 00:11:29,719 --> 00:11:32,359 Stop! TYRES SCREECH 231 00:11:32,359 --> 00:11:34,519 Stay there! 232 00:11:34,519 --> 00:11:36,479 You're under arrest for being concerned 233 00:11:36,479 --> 00:11:37,839 in the supply of class-A drugs. 234 00:11:37,839 --> 00:11:40,479 You don't have to say anything but it may harm your defence 235 00:11:40,479 --> 00:11:42,199 if you do not mention when questioned 236 00:11:42,199 --> 00:11:45,719 something you later rely on in court. Do you understand? 237 00:11:45,719 --> 00:11:47,799 DOOR CRASHES Police! Police! 238 00:11:50,199 --> 00:11:54,679 What we've got here is going to be a quantity of heroin which is uncut. 239 00:11:56,119 --> 00:11:59,079 Got a quantity of crack cocaine here. 240 00:11:59,079 --> 00:12:01,199 He's got two mobile phones on him, 241 00:12:01,199 --> 00:12:03,799 and one of the phones is what we call the job line. 242 00:12:05,879 --> 00:12:08,519 We've got bulk messages basically saying 243 00:12:08,519 --> 00:12:10,919 that he's got heroin and crack cocaine for sale. 244 00:12:10,919 --> 00:12:14,799 Here you've got loads and loads of numbers - 245 00:12:14,799 --> 00:12:17,639 all the same number, ending in 529. 246 00:12:17,639 --> 00:12:20,079 We believe this to be the Avon drug line, 247 00:12:20,079 --> 00:12:23,479 so he's going to be taking this out to potential new customers. 248 00:12:23,479 --> 00:12:25,999 Also, we found a large quantity of cash, 249 00:12:25,999 --> 00:12:27,599 approximately over £1,000. 250 00:12:29,599 --> 00:12:31,599 Bearing in mind the guy doesn't work, 251 00:12:31,599 --> 00:12:34,519 he's got a lot of questions to answer. 252 00:12:34,519 --> 00:12:37,159 What we've found is what we call the holy trilogy - 253 00:12:37,159 --> 00:12:40,239 drugs, cash and obviously phones on him. 254 00:12:40,239 --> 00:12:43,399 We've got the full shebang. So, yeah, it's a great result for us. 255 00:12:46,679 --> 00:12:49,239 George Dempsey has a learning disability, 256 00:12:49,239 --> 00:12:52,399 and vulnerable young people are often coerced into selling 257 00:12:52,399 --> 00:12:56,679 or distributing drugs by those higher up the county lines network. 258 00:12:56,679 --> 00:13:00,719 The younger they are, the easier it is for the gangs to groom them. 259 00:13:02,319 --> 00:13:05,519 Hi, my name's Kory, and this is my dance. 260 00:13:05,519 --> 00:13:07,519 DANCE MUSIC PLAYS 261 00:13:10,119 --> 00:13:12,679 He was an excellent dancer. 262 00:13:12,679 --> 00:13:15,919 He was going to dance school from he was five. 263 00:13:15,919 --> 00:13:18,599 Do you remember the group, Diversity? 264 00:13:18,599 --> 00:13:20,479 He was with them for about three years. 265 00:13:22,319 --> 00:13:25,639 He just loved to dance, he loved to entertain, 266 00:13:25,639 --> 00:13:27,919 so we was going down that line. 267 00:13:29,159 --> 00:13:31,999 But things started to go badly wrong for Kory, 268 00:13:31,999 --> 00:13:33,879 known to his family as CJ. 269 00:13:35,239 --> 00:13:38,279 At ten, he was diagnosed with a learning disorder. 270 00:13:38,279 --> 00:13:42,359 His school couldn't cope with his behaviour and he was excluded. 271 00:13:42,359 --> 00:13:46,799 Then, at 13, CJ was groomed by an East London drugs gang. 272 00:13:46,799 --> 00:13:50,159 It began with them buying him chicken and chips after school. 273 00:13:50,159 --> 00:13:53,599 It wasn't long before they demanded something in return. 274 00:13:53,599 --> 00:13:55,599 I'm calling him and he goes, 275 00:13:55,599 --> 00:13:58,999 "Mum, these boys have asked me to sell drugs." 276 00:13:58,999 --> 00:14:01,839 And my next question was, straight away, "Where are you?" 277 00:14:03,119 --> 00:14:05,759 As soon as I saw the drugs, I said, 278 00:14:05,759 --> 00:14:07,119 "I want to take them." 279 00:14:07,119 --> 00:14:09,519 And he was like, "No, no, no, Mum, you don't know these boys." 280 00:14:09,519 --> 00:14:11,799 I said, "Listen, if there's ever a moment in life 281 00:14:11,799 --> 00:14:13,999 "that you should trust me, it's this moment right now. 282 00:14:13,999 --> 00:14:16,279 "I've got you. Don't worry, I'm taking this." 283 00:14:17,759 --> 00:14:22,559 CJ's mum says she disposed of around £600 worth of drugs. 284 00:14:22,559 --> 00:14:26,359 £600 that he would now have to pay back. 285 00:14:26,359 --> 00:14:30,519 As much as I can say, "OK, it's dealt with on my side," 286 00:14:30,519 --> 00:14:32,399 in his mind, it's not dealt with, 287 00:14:32,399 --> 00:14:35,639 cos he now feels like he owes money for these boys. 288 00:14:35,639 --> 00:14:37,999 He wanted to get rid of that debt. 289 00:14:37,999 --> 00:14:40,199 He went missing. 290 00:14:40,199 --> 00:14:42,879 He went to county lines, as they say. 291 00:14:42,879 --> 00:14:48,079 When he returned, he had dark eyes, he looked like he hadn't bathed, 292 00:14:48,079 --> 00:14:51,199 he didn't look like the son that I was raising. 293 00:14:52,239 --> 00:14:56,079 Just turned 14, CJ and three other young people 294 00:14:56,079 --> 00:15:00,159 were targeted on a street corner by a gunman in a stolen Range Rover. 295 00:15:02,759 --> 00:15:06,439 My phone rings. CJ's been shot. 296 00:15:06,439 --> 00:15:09,479 Do you have to touch my face like that? Mwah! 297 00:15:09,479 --> 00:15:12,999 Then I just remember being at the hospital. 298 00:15:12,999 --> 00:15:14,919 I told him I was there. 299 00:15:14,919 --> 00:15:18,079 I told him I loved him and I'm going to be here for when he wakes up. 300 00:15:22,079 --> 00:15:24,759 CJ died from his injuries the next day. 301 00:15:27,559 --> 00:15:29,999 No-one has been arrested for his murder, 302 00:15:29,999 --> 00:15:32,199 but police say the case remains open. 303 00:15:39,759 --> 00:15:42,799 A few weeks into filming, and lockdown hits the UK. 304 00:15:46,119 --> 00:15:48,079 With the streets deserted, 305 00:15:48,079 --> 00:15:51,439 the county lines gangs no longer have the cover they once relied on. 306 00:15:55,319 --> 00:15:58,439 They had to change the way that they operated. 307 00:15:58,439 --> 00:16:00,559 There was some anecdotal evidence of them 308 00:16:00,559 --> 00:16:03,079 using supermarket car parks to try 309 00:16:03,079 --> 00:16:05,359 and get some cover of other people, 310 00:16:05,359 --> 00:16:09,599 some suggestion that perhaps they were using key worker status 311 00:16:09,599 --> 00:16:12,039 to be able to move themselves around. 312 00:16:12,039 --> 00:16:15,879 Prices went up. If prices go up, violence goes up. 313 00:16:15,879 --> 00:16:17,639 So criminals will adapt. 314 00:16:21,399 --> 00:16:26,279 After an initial shortage of drugs and a corresponding spike in prices, 315 00:16:26,279 --> 00:16:29,319 it's not long before it's business as usual. 316 00:16:29,319 --> 00:16:31,319 I don't think there's been any difference 317 00:16:31,319 --> 00:16:34,199 in relation to the busyness of the market. 318 00:16:34,199 --> 00:16:35,959 Just because there's a global pandemic on, 319 00:16:35,959 --> 00:16:37,559 people have still got an addiction 320 00:16:37,559 --> 00:16:39,559 and they've got to feed that addiction. 321 00:16:41,079 --> 00:16:42,719 This guy in front of us is a user. 322 00:16:45,559 --> 00:16:48,599 Somebody in that alleyway has popped out, looking up and down. 323 00:16:48,599 --> 00:16:50,039 Probably going to score. 324 00:16:50,039 --> 00:16:52,079 Let's bounce back. 325 00:16:52,079 --> 00:16:54,999 I've been nicking people in this alleyway for years. 326 00:16:54,999 --> 00:16:58,359 There you go. It's Joe Cass with him. 327 00:16:59,799 --> 00:17:03,759 I think he's chatting. They're both drug users. 328 00:17:03,759 --> 00:17:06,479 Has he given him money there? He has, hasn't he? Yep. Done it. 329 00:17:08,479 --> 00:17:10,919 Completely oblivious to us. 330 00:17:10,919 --> 00:17:14,999 Look at that, just complete... There you go, there's the cash. 331 00:17:14,999 --> 00:17:17,439 That is how blatant it is. 332 00:17:18,879 --> 00:17:20,639 No. 333 00:17:24,439 --> 00:17:27,399 We're on an operation today for a bigger player. 334 00:17:27,399 --> 00:17:29,199 We'll go back and get him another day. 335 00:17:32,599 --> 00:17:34,919 Something that blew my mind is, we stopped a guy. 336 00:17:34,919 --> 00:17:38,519 He didn't know that there was an actual global pandemic. 337 00:17:38,519 --> 00:17:40,319 He didn't know. 338 00:17:40,319 --> 00:17:42,959 He just thought it was just quiet. 339 00:17:42,959 --> 00:17:45,359 Just shows you how far detached these people get. 340 00:17:50,159 --> 00:17:53,639 As the year has gone on, we've gone back to normal. 341 00:17:53,639 --> 00:17:57,679 Initially, it was harder to gain intelligence. 342 00:17:57,679 --> 00:18:01,519 Now the intelligence is just as rapid as what it has been. 343 00:18:02,959 --> 00:18:05,119 The county lines team has now discovered more 344 00:18:05,119 --> 00:18:07,599 about one of the networks it disrupted 345 00:18:07,599 --> 00:18:10,079 before the first lockdown last year. 346 00:18:10,079 --> 00:18:12,799 So after the arrest of George Dempsey, 347 00:18:12,799 --> 00:18:16,759 we have, through phone work, worked out that George Dempsey 348 00:18:16,759 --> 00:18:21,839 was in contact with a well-known male by the name of BLEEP, 349 00:18:21,839 --> 00:18:27,319 which would suggest that BLEEP was supplying George Dempsey. 350 00:18:27,319 --> 00:18:31,279 He has been in prison on multiple occasions for drug offences. 351 00:18:32,359 --> 00:18:35,679 He's been known to us from about 2008. 352 00:18:35,679 --> 00:18:37,719 He's gone from being a low-level street dealer 353 00:18:37,719 --> 00:18:40,319 and worked his way up the ranks, according to the intelligence. 354 00:18:40,319 --> 00:18:41,999 He's been in prison for it. 355 00:18:41,999 --> 00:18:43,799 On two occasions that I've dealt with him, 356 00:18:43,799 --> 00:18:45,799 the first one he got six years, I believe, 357 00:18:45,799 --> 00:18:47,639 and the second one he got ten years. 358 00:18:47,639 --> 00:18:50,079 It just shows, he's probably served half that sentence 359 00:18:50,079 --> 00:18:52,159 and then he's come straight back out into it. 360 00:18:53,679 --> 00:18:56,119 Police believe their new suspect has stepped in 361 00:18:56,119 --> 00:19:01,239 to replace Jem Fourneillier, who'd been arrested in February 2020. 362 00:19:01,239 --> 00:19:02,479 Unlike Fourneillier, 363 00:19:02,479 --> 00:19:05,599 the suspect is believed to be delivering drugs himself, 364 00:19:05,599 --> 00:19:07,559 bringing them from London by car. 365 00:19:09,159 --> 00:19:12,799 So the investigation has identified that he's using this vehicle. 366 00:19:12,799 --> 00:19:14,279 What we can do on the ANPR system 367 00:19:14,279 --> 00:19:16,119 is search on that numberplate alone 368 00:19:16,119 --> 00:19:18,959 and it will show us all the activations that it's made. 369 00:19:18,959 --> 00:19:20,999 He's going to be switched on, 370 00:19:20,999 --> 00:19:23,479 so we're going to have to think about this one. 371 00:19:23,479 --> 00:19:24,799 How many cars have we got? 372 00:19:24,799 --> 00:19:29,279 One, two... Probably about four or five vehicles, hopefully. 373 00:19:29,279 --> 00:19:32,519 It's monitoring the movements of our subject vehicle. 374 00:19:32,519 --> 00:19:35,999 It shows us at 13.01 right by King's College Hospital. 375 00:19:35,999 --> 00:19:37,799 Ideally, what you want to do is get them 376 00:19:37,799 --> 00:19:39,639 in one of the narrow Medway streets 377 00:19:39,639 --> 00:19:41,479 that you can come in one end and one at another, 378 00:19:41,479 --> 00:19:42,879 and use parked cars and just... 379 00:19:42,879 --> 00:19:44,919 Block him in. Block him in. 380 00:19:44,919 --> 00:19:48,799 Within the last sort of ten or 15 minutes, he's down here, 381 00:19:48,799 --> 00:19:51,359 heading towards Dulwich Village area. 382 00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:53,719 In theory, that would lead onto the South Circular, 383 00:19:53,719 --> 00:19:55,679 which would bring him down towards us. 384 00:20:00,319 --> 00:20:04,599 With their shift ending at 7pm and still no sign of their suspect, 385 00:20:04,599 --> 00:20:07,319 police stand down the operation. 386 00:20:07,319 --> 00:20:11,519 There's been a lot of manpower today and pretty much all we've done 387 00:20:11,519 --> 00:20:15,759 is sit in the office, waiting on our man to rock up. 388 00:20:20,119 --> 00:20:23,719 However, a few days later, police are back on the trail. 389 00:20:23,719 --> 00:20:28,599 The intention today is to execute a search warrant in Maidstone. 390 00:20:28,599 --> 00:20:30,519 You are searching for controlled drugs, 391 00:20:30,519 --> 00:20:32,479 documentation relating to controlled drugs, 392 00:20:32,479 --> 00:20:35,279 including those contained within electronic devices, 393 00:20:35,279 --> 00:20:36,679 and any sim cards. 394 00:20:38,359 --> 00:20:40,239 Don't slam doors, don't slam doors. 395 00:20:51,959 --> 00:20:53,279 Go on, one more. 396 00:20:54,359 --> 00:20:55,999 Police! Police! 397 00:20:55,999 --> 00:20:57,839 Stay where you are! 398 00:21:00,239 --> 00:21:03,519 Executing a search warrant, OK? Do you want to step up for us? 399 00:21:03,519 --> 00:21:05,039 The time is 5.20. 400 00:21:05,039 --> 00:21:06,559 At this time, you're being arrested 401 00:21:06,559 --> 00:21:09,639 on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs, OK? 402 00:21:09,639 --> 00:21:11,759 I'm out of breath now, running up those stairs! 403 00:21:14,719 --> 00:21:16,519 Although the intelligence points 404 00:21:16,519 --> 00:21:19,719 to the suspect being a major player, the search of the property 405 00:21:19,719 --> 00:21:22,439 doesn't uncover the evidence police were hoping for. 406 00:21:25,079 --> 00:21:28,519 The next day he's released, but he remains a person of interest. 407 00:21:31,239 --> 00:21:33,239 This is not a glamorous lifestyle. 408 00:21:33,239 --> 00:21:35,519 This is horrendous and violent. 409 00:21:35,519 --> 00:21:38,079 And if you get into it, very hard to get out of it. 410 00:21:40,319 --> 00:21:43,879 Aged just 14, this girl, who we're calling Ashley, 411 00:21:43,879 --> 00:21:46,199 found out just how hard it can be. 412 00:21:48,079 --> 00:21:51,599 I started hanging around with people who was running their own lines. 413 00:21:51,599 --> 00:21:55,519 And I was watching them make an extraordinary amount of money. 414 00:21:57,679 --> 00:21:59,199 We're disguising her identity 415 00:21:59,199 --> 00:22:01,839 because she fears the gang she joined as a teenager. 416 00:22:05,279 --> 00:22:07,879 I had no money, I didn't have nothing. 417 00:22:07,879 --> 00:22:10,079 I couldn't just live off of my mum. 418 00:22:10,079 --> 00:22:12,599 So I went up to my friend and I said to him, 419 00:22:12,599 --> 00:22:14,039 "How much will I get paid a week?" 420 00:22:14,039 --> 00:22:17,879 And he says, "You'll earn £600 a week," and I'm thinking, "What?!" 421 00:22:17,879 --> 00:22:20,399 "£600 a week? Yes, please!" 422 00:22:22,159 --> 00:22:25,999 Ashley began working as a courier, often taking drugs 423 00:22:25,999 --> 00:22:28,239 long distances for the gang. 424 00:22:28,239 --> 00:22:31,639 But when she wanted to leave, the gang had other ideas 425 00:22:31,639 --> 00:22:33,639 and began to torture her. 426 00:22:33,639 --> 00:22:38,199 After I'd been beaten with various objects, he pulled out the gun. 427 00:22:38,199 --> 00:22:40,839 I thought I was going to die that night. 428 00:22:40,839 --> 00:22:44,679 I laid on the floor and I looked... I was just looking into the sky, 429 00:22:44,679 --> 00:22:48,159 and I was like, "Oh, my God! I'm dying." 430 00:22:50,479 --> 00:22:52,159 Unlike many victims, 431 00:22:52,159 --> 00:22:55,239 Ashley decided to give evidence against her attackers. 432 00:22:56,279 --> 00:22:59,479 Found guilty on charges including kidnap and assault, 433 00:22:59,479 --> 00:23:02,439 they all received long jail sentences. 434 00:23:07,239 --> 00:23:10,679 At their Medway headquarters, officers have been alerted 435 00:23:10,679 --> 00:23:14,959 to a violent new county lines gang that's arrived from London. 436 00:23:14,959 --> 00:23:16,559 Calling itself the CJ line, 437 00:23:16,559 --> 00:23:20,439 it's gone right to the top of the priority list. 438 00:23:20,439 --> 00:23:24,079 We've been made aware overnight of a video circulating on Snapchat 439 00:23:24,079 --> 00:23:27,879 - which has been uploaded by an account, CJ Underscore Two. 440 00:23:27,879 --> 00:23:30,039 It basically shows a male being tortured. 441 00:23:30,039 --> 00:23:33,799 LAUGHTER ON RECORDING 442 00:23:33,799 --> 00:23:37,159 The Snapchat video was being circulated in the area of Gravesend. 443 00:23:37,159 --> 00:23:39,519 VIDEO: Star jumps now. BLEEP star jumps! 444 00:23:39,519 --> 00:23:41,759 You get down on your... 445 00:23:41,759 --> 00:23:44,839 He's with us now. Police found him this morning. 446 00:23:44,839 --> 00:23:46,639 He has injuries consistent with the assault 447 00:23:46,639 --> 00:23:48,079 that we've seen in the video. 448 00:23:50,439 --> 00:23:54,639 As well as children, county lines gangs prey on vulnerable adults. 449 00:23:54,639 --> 00:23:57,599 In this case, they've subjected a 33-year-old man 450 00:23:57,599 --> 00:23:59,439 to a five-hour ordeal. 451 00:23:59,439 --> 00:24:03,319 He was cut, burned and scalded with boiling water. 452 00:24:04,519 --> 00:24:06,759 It's very serious, making somebody do that. 453 00:24:06,759 --> 00:24:09,199 I mean, that's one step away from killing them. 454 00:24:12,039 --> 00:24:15,039 Officers have used intelligence from social media 455 00:24:15,039 --> 00:24:17,439 to track down the suspects who uploaded the video. 456 00:24:19,439 --> 00:24:22,839 One of the names being batted around is a Charlie Saunter. 457 00:24:25,439 --> 00:24:29,479 It's that address. That's where the videos were sent from. 458 00:24:31,319 --> 00:24:33,159 MOBILE RINGS 459 00:24:35,679 --> 00:24:40,279 Hello, mate. We don't know what we're going to be walking into. OK. 460 00:24:42,119 --> 00:24:44,159 We'll just go straight up and just do it. 461 00:24:44,159 --> 00:24:46,999 We'll see you up there, mate. All right. 462 00:24:52,239 --> 00:24:55,079 All right, go. See if there's cover. 463 00:25:05,879 --> 00:25:10,319 Police! Police! Do not move, do not move! Do not move, do not move. 464 00:25:10,319 --> 00:25:13,119 Get out of there! Hands up, hands up, hands up, hands up! 465 00:25:13,119 --> 00:25:15,039 Hands up, hands up. On the floor, on the floor. 466 00:25:15,039 --> 00:25:16,719 Get hold of your dog, get hold of your dog. 467 00:25:16,719 --> 00:25:20,279 Charlie, you're under arrest for GBH, false imprisonment. 468 00:25:20,279 --> 00:25:22,919 Why have you got a stab vest? 469 00:25:22,919 --> 00:25:26,399 Got a great big Rambo knife there. 470 00:25:26,399 --> 00:25:29,199 We've got multiple weapons, drugs, all sorts. 471 00:25:31,519 --> 00:25:36,639 Been successful. We've got our man in custody - Mr Saunter. 472 00:25:36,639 --> 00:25:39,639 He was in there with two other males. 473 00:25:39,639 --> 00:25:42,239 This was pulled out as we got into the living room. 474 00:25:42,239 --> 00:25:43,759 He was lucky he wasn't tasered. 475 00:25:43,759 --> 00:25:45,559 I think he soon realised we were police 476 00:25:45,559 --> 00:25:46,999 and dropped it straight away. 477 00:25:49,359 --> 00:25:53,039 What's this for, ITV? BBC, mate. BLEEP BBC, yeah! 478 00:25:56,439 --> 00:25:59,319 Unfortunately, my colleague got bit because there was a bull mastiff. 479 00:25:59,319 --> 00:26:01,319 Bit my colleague on the leg. 480 00:26:01,319 --> 00:26:05,399 Got various weapons located, secreted around the house. 481 00:26:05,399 --> 00:26:08,039 That was lifted up and that was just placed there 482 00:26:08,039 --> 00:26:11,079 so you wouldn't necessarily see it. 483 00:26:11,079 --> 00:26:13,479 The videos the gang put up on social media 484 00:26:13,479 --> 00:26:16,839 showed them attacking the victim with a purple knife. 485 00:26:16,839 --> 00:26:18,599 This is a great bit of evidence 486 00:26:18,599 --> 00:26:21,319 because we think this is the knife that was used in the assault. 487 00:26:21,319 --> 00:26:22,839 This guy had this with him as well, 488 00:26:22,839 --> 00:26:26,079 so it just shows that they're prepared to wear stab vests. 489 00:26:28,159 --> 00:26:32,079 County lines gangs sometimes take over people's properties like this 490 00:26:32,079 --> 00:26:35,119 and use them as drug dealing dens. 491 00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:36,879 It's called cuckooing. 492 00:26:40,079 --> 00:26:43,759 This particular address belongs to a female that we know very well. 493 00:26:43,759 --> 00:26:47,199 She's a young female, has a severe drug addiction. 494 00:26:48,239 --> 00:26:51,679 So this, to me, is a classic victim of cuckooing. 495 00:26:53,639 --> 00:26:56,799 People would just come round, give her some drugs to stay. 496 00:26:56,799 --> 00:27:00,639 They're just using the drugs to feed her habit, and they've got a place 497 00:27:00,639 --> 00:27:03,679 to stay for the night and run and deal drugs from. 498 00:27:05,919 --> 00:27:09,999 Charlie Saunter, which we believe to be connected to the CJ Line, 499 00:27:09,999 --> 00:27:12,319 we've recovered his bag. 500 00:27:12,319 --> 00:27:15,439 When we looked in it, we found a large quantity of class A drugs 501 00:27:15,439 --> 00:27:17,719 as well as about £2,000 in cash, 502 00:27:17,719 --> 00:27:19,719 all these documents with his name on it. 503 00:27:21,559 --> 00:27:24,599 It was quite funny because he was wearing a West Ham football top, 504 00:27:24,599 --> 00:27:27,479 and on the back he had initials of CJ. 505 00:27:27,479 --> 00:27:30,479 Which is crazy - it's like promoting his own drug trade 506 00:27:30,479 --> 00:27:32,039 on the back of his West Ham shirt. 507 00:27:36,279 --> 00:27:38,599 Since the first lockdown in March last year, 508 00:27:38,599 --> 00:27:41,199 the court system has struggled. 509 00:27:41,199 --> 00:27:43,479 Now the courts are finally beginning to catch up 510 00:27:43,479 --> 00:27:45,159 with the backlog of cases. 511 00:27:46,359 --> 00:27:49,599 Last month, Charles Saunter and two others pleaded guilty 512 00:27:49,599 --> 00:27:52,639 to a string of charges, including assault and drug dealing. 513 00:27:53,639 --> 00:27:56,279 Jemel Fourneillier also pleaded guilty to drugs 514 00:27:56,279 --> 00:27:58,239 and firearm offences. 515 00:27:58,239 --> 00:28:00,879 George Dempsey is serving a two-year sentence 516 00:28:00,879 --> 00:28:04,199 for supplying crack and heroin. 517 00:28:04,199 --> 00:28:08,679 Over the last year, Kent's drug squad has made over 300 arrests 518 00:28:08,679 --> 00:28:13,039 and say they've reduced the number of county lines by a third to 46. 519 00:28:13,039 --> 00:28:16,959 There are now plans to expand the drugs squad to 70 officers. 520 00:28:16,959 --> 00:28:19,239 They'll have no shortage of targets. 521 00:28:19,239 --> 00:28:22,999 It's not a war, because a war ends. It's just a constant battle. 522 00:28:24,519 --> 00:28:26,319 You take him out. He'll step in. 523 00:28:26,319 --> 00:28:29,559 And then we'll take him out, and then someone else will step in. 524 00:28:29,559 --> 00:28:31,039 That's the game.